


Delusions

by TheFutterwacken



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Dimension Travel, F/M, Hunting, Slow Romance, Some humour, Survival, Swearing, potential sexual content, self edited
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-09
Updated: 2015-04-25
Packaged: 2018-01-15 02:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1288555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFutterwacken/pseuds/TheFutterwacken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You wake up in a world that isn't yours. You are outside of the walls in a forest and no one is there to help you. </p>
<p>You are completely alone. What will you do? </p>
<p>Survive. At all costs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a LevixReader insert originally posted on my Deviantart under the same username. H/c = hair colour, e/c = eye colour, h/l = hair length, f/c = favourite colour

The first thing you noticed was a dull ache in your head, followed by the speckles of sunlight streaming through the blanket of leaves above as you opened your (e/c) eyes. Then came the feeling of something lightly tickling your sides, and you quickly realized you were sprawled out upon the cool, grassy ground.  
  
 _Cool, grassy ground of what?_  
  
You moved your arms to push yourself into a sitting position, but instantly relented at the sharp pain abruptly shooting through your joints. Your limbs prickled almost painfully so, and you groaned in irritation as you forced your sleeping arms to lift yourself upwards.  
  
 _Ah. Cool, grassy ground of a forest_ , you thought, as your eyes scanned your surroundings.  
  
You took note of the long tree branches seemingly overlapping each other and the thick underbrush. You had never seen a forest this dense before, and you frowned at the thought of trying to navigate through the trees and bushes.  
  
Slowly rising to a standing position, you bent and wiggled your arms and legs in an attempt to regain full feeling and control so you could begin your reluctant journey through the thicket of trees.  
  
An image of a man cutting through a jungle came to mind whilst you ducked and bent your body around shrubs and pointy twigs. You couldn't recall where you had seen such an image; you suspected it was from a movie, but you couldn't be too sure. Your mind felt strange and hazy, as if it was purposefully pushing you away from any thought that didn't regard your current situation. Either way, the stinging pain from the cuts and scrapes you were beginning to adorn was making you wish you had such a blade as well.  
  
You weren't sure how long it had taken you to find another clearing, perhaps a half an hour or so, but you didn't care, as the sight of what appeared to be a wooden cabin caused a rush of relief to wash over you. Perhaps someone was inside and could help set you on a course for home. Your body tensed at the thought, and you suddenly felt wary. Your hand moved towards your upper thigh at the thought of being cautious, and your eyes grew wide in shock as you noticed that you had instinctively reached for a gun that wasn't there.  
  
 _Why would I do that?_  
  
Dizziness hit your brain like a brick, and you tumbled backwards at the abrupt feeling. You took deep breaths and focused your attention on the intricate details of a nearby tree trunk in hopes of recovering from the haze that dotted your mind.  
  
You soon found yourself pressed against the outer wall of the small one-story building and peering through a dusty window. Nothing. The dust was too thick for you to see through the glass.  
  
"Abandoned, maybe?" you said quietly as you lightly stepped across the dirt towards the cabin door. You highly doubted someone would be actively occupying a place with so much dust, yet nevertheless, you curled your hand into a fist and knocked firmly upon the door as a precaution.  
  
You were a bit surprised to find the door unlocked when you turned the handle, but you quickly halted your observation and jumped away from the door in surprise as a wave of horrid, stale air burst out of the open door and engulfed your senses.  
  
"Definitely abandoned!" you choked out as you turned away and gasped for fresh air.  
  
You hadn't found anyone to assist you, however, you did find shelter for the night. The sky was beginning to turn a yellow and orange, you noticed, and that meant that any preparations would have to be done so immediately.  
  
With a feeling of dread and a look of disgust etched onto your face, you entered the small building and began your new task of making the place habitable for the night.  
  
A few cupboards and shelves hovered over a wooden counter and sink that stood against the wall on the right side of the entrance to the cabin. A small four seat table was directly across from the small kitchen, and a large stone fireplace, that also served as an oven, on the adjacent wall in the centre. Beside the fireplace and on the wall opposite to the kitchen was a small bed frame and thin mattress. There was another door beside the bed, which you assumed (and hoped) to be the bathroom, and a large cabinet leaned against the wall to the left of the cabin entrance.  
  
Overall, the small square room looked fairly colonial in appearance, with very old fashioned sets of kitchenware and other household objects scattered about. And everything was absolutely _coated_ in dust.  
  
Sighing in annoyance, you quickly began your search for cleaning supplies to help aid you in airing out the little house and dusting away the years of untouched solitude.  
  
The sky was dark by the time you had ignited the fireplace with a few logs and a match you had found in a box in the kitchen. A content sigh escaped your lips as you rested your head upon a thin pillow and nestled into a thin cotton blanket. You felt warm and the crackling fire created a dim, orange glow around the room that seemed to bring out the exhaustion in you, and your eyes soon began to close.  
  
~~~~  
  
You awoke to bright sunlight streaming through the windows and an empty fireplace. Your stomach growled at you once you had stood and stretched out your sore limbs. Even if there was food in the cabin, it would no longer be edible, so with the need to find nourishment acting as a new motivation for you to find your way back to civilization, you quickly exited the cabin.  
  
The trees were rather tall, you noticed, and didn't appear to thin out too quickly near the top, so with that in mind, you decided that the best way to scale your surroundings was from a vantage point.  
  
Climbing the tallest tree you could find was a lot easier than you had thought. In fact, it felt rather natural to you, as if you had done it many times before. The thought confused you, but you pushed it aside and focused on reaching a high enough view point.  
  
The sight you were met with was breathtaking. The thick forest was relatively large from what you could tell, with a stream cutting through it not too far away on the right side of the clearing. Fields of grass and small hills spanned out into the distance, and further away you could make out the outlines of mountains. It was beautiful; a lush variety of greens and small colourful specks, which could only be flowers, dotted the land before you.  
  
"Amazing..." you whispered, a smile gracing your lips. Your expression of awe was quickly replaced with confusion, however, when your eyes landed on the sight farther away on the left.  
  
It was another forest, that much you could tell. Yet what caused your eyes to narrow was the odd perspective of the area. The land around you became smaller and smaller the further away it was, but the other forest in the distance didn't seem to do the same. No, instead, it looked rather large, with huge, tall trees stretching out into the sky.  
  
Your eyes landed upon a figure in the distance.  
  
Hope fluttered through you for a moment as you saw the figure standing in the field surrounding the forest you were in, but quickly vanished as you realized a very odd thing. Just like the forest in the distance, the figure was unnaturally large considering how far away they were.  
  
You squinted your (e/c) eyes at the person to study them better, and you were shocked to find that the figure was stark naked. Then your eyes took note of the strangely elongated torso and short, scrawny arms.  
  
Images and words burst into your mind at lightning speed and a feeling of recognition filled you as you grasped at the sudden memories. Three words instantly came to mind after your recollection.  
  
"Attack on Titan," you murmured.  
  
Your eyes grew wide.  
  
That figure was familiar. It was a titan. It was a titan from a Japanese series that you were apparently knowledgeable about.  
  
It was a titan.  
  
From a piece of fiction.  
  
You were in a fictional world.  
  
The air rushed passed you with an alarming strength, and it was then that you became aware that you had lost your footing on the tree branch. The sky entered your vision as you fell towards the ground.  
  
Your blood ran cold.


	2. Chapter 2

Time seemed to slow down to almost a stop as gravity wrapped around you in a choke-hold and pulled you closer to your untimely end. A million thoughts whizzed by, and yet your mind felt blank. All you could do was gape at the sky and cluster of greenery in your field of vision as the wind harshly whipped at your back.  
  
The sky was suddenly swapped with a view of the tall, grassy ground, and it was then that you noticed your body acting on its own. You back flipped mid-air, causing your body to turn upside down with your head facing the ground. Your arms quickly latched onto a branch below you and you used it to swing yourself around and back upwards into the sky. Your legs curled inwards and you performed a quick somersault as you were catapulted into the air, before your feet planted firmly on another branch. Your hands gripped the branch you were squatting on to steady yourself.  
  
Your heart pounded in your chest and your face contorted into an expression of complete and utter shock. You remained crouched on the tree branch as a million questions raced through your mind a mile a minute. You were falling from a very tall tree. You couldn't do anything but wait for the inevitable crash to the ground, and yet your body reacted to the situation and saved you from certain death. It was a reflex, you realized with horror, just like the previous day when you had reached for a nonexistent gun.  
  
"But how...?" your voice wavered with more than a little concern to the fact that your limbs weren't shaking in response to the fear and panic you felt. It was almost as if your body had a mind of its own.  
  
Your shoulders tensed at the remembrance of the revelation that had caused your fall from the tree, and you suddenly felt wary of the ground below you. You weren't quite sure how, but you just _knew_ that titans had a taste for humans and were best avoided from high up above ground.  
  
But wait.  
  
Titans were much larger than humans, even the smaller ones. The scratches and bruises dotting your skin was enough proof of how difficult navigating through the dense woods was. If a human finds the forest to be too cramped, then surely any titan won't even be able to move through it, right?  
  
"Right," you said, curtly nodding your head. "Didn't see any yesterday, and I didn't see any in this forest while scouting."  
  
Feeling reassured, you quickly descended down the tree and made your way back to the cabin. A new plan had formed in your head, one you didn't particularly like, but it was the only thing you could really do.  
  
The reality was that you were stuck here, in this forest, in a fictional and incredibly dangerous world. Finding your way out and looking for civilization was no longer an option. It baffled and frightened you, but you knew that you had much more important things demanding your attention before you could thoroughly analyze what you were going to do in the long run.  
  
A few things had caught your attention as you dug through the drawers and cupboards in the cabin. There was a variety of knives, ranging from butter and butcher knives to carving and skinning knives. Piles of rope and wire lay strewn about the bottom of the cabinet, under a rudimentary fishing pole.  
  
A strange sensation formed in your gut as you looked at the hunting gear. You couldn't recall ever hunting before, but somehow, you just _knew_ that you could. It was almost as if someone was uploading data into your mind; you could see and hear instructions in your head on a lot of different hunting strategies. Suddenly you knew exactly what you had to do in order to survive.  
  
Trekking your way through the forest towards the river was much easier now that you had a blade to cut through the suffocatingly thick undergrowth. You didn't want to create too many wide paths in your wake (you still feared that a titan would somehow show up) so you took to the lower branches of the trees to navigate your way around when cutting plants just wasn't enough.  
  
You were surprised to find some paths already created in the forest, and upon closer inspection you could tell that there were more than just squirrels and birds within the woods. You set up a snare near a spot that indicated a hare had recently passed by, and then continued on your way.  
  
The trees thinned out as you reached the river and you quickly set to work on digging through the dirt for some worms to use as fish bait. You sat down on a relatively large rock and proceeded to cast the fishing line into the water. Again, you felt something form in the pit of your stomach, and an image of a child fishing in a boat with a man came to mind. Was that child you? Was that your father? You couldn't remember.  
  
"What do I remember?" you mumbled.  
  
You knew your name, that much you were sure. You knew your date of birth as well. Simple things like your favourite colour and what kind of food you liked was also easy to think about. You knew culture references, movies, games, and what music you liked, however you weren't sure how much of it you actually enjoyed out of choice, and how much was just information. Hell, even the music that you liked could just be nothing more than data in your head. Just like the information you had on Attack on Titan. Was it something you had read out of enjoyment, or just something you knew of?  
  
And why on earth did your body move with killer reflexes like that out of an action movie?  
  
Searing white pain clouded your mind and you gasped, your hands immediately dropping the fishing pole and clutching your aching head.  
  
~~~~  
  
The sun was high in the sky and it was uncomfortably hot, you noticed, as you slowly blinked your heavy eyelids. You lay sprawled out across the rock you had sat upon while you were fishing. You had blacked out, you realized, as the sun's position in the sky indicated that it was now around noon and a few hours had passed by.  
  
Your stomach growled violently. You frowned. You had missed dinner and breakfast, and now you were about to miss lunch too.  
  
"Like hell I will," you said, sitting up and grabbing the fishing pole. You were going to catch a fish no matter what.  
  
A string of fish hung over your shoulder as you trudged back to your temporary home. Not only did your catch smell bad, but it could also gain the attention of potential predators. The thought of vicious wolves lurking about out of sight frightened you. Your concerns were quickly forgotten as the sight before you caused you to stop in your tracks.  
  
A little bundle of speckled brown and white fur lay upon the forest floor where you had set your snare. You stared at it for a moment in dead silence, before you slowly bent down beside the creature and gently rested your hand on its tiny body. The hare was dead. The snare had choked it to death.  
  
The sob that escaped your lips startled you. Tears trickled down your cheeks. You weren't sure why you were crying.  
  
Then it hit you. The feeling of guilt. You weren't prepared for this. With all the knowledge you had on hunting, you weren't prepared to face the consequences of survival. You had killed an innocent, harmless creature, and it made you feel terrible. Yet at the same time, a part of you felt like you had done similar things many times before.  
  
The conflicting feelings confused you and made your brain hurt. The sight of the defenceless creature lifeless on the ground because of you made your heart ache. And the success of your endeavours made your empty stomach ripple in pain.  
  
"I'm sorry..." your voice croaked. Your hands shakily worked the snare off of the motionless animal.  
  
You were alone in this forest. In this world. You didn't know anyone and the lives you had encountered died by your hands.  
  
"Please forgive me..." you whispered to the hare as you carefully grabbed hold of it and stood up.  
  
Your stomach growled.  
  
The tears stopped cascading down your cheeks and your eyes hardened.  
  
You were alone.  
  
But you were going to survive.


	3. Chapter 3

Today was not a good day.  
  
The air was humid and despite the blanket of leaves that blocked out most light in the dense forest, the sun persisted in shining its bright, scorching rays down to the forest floor. If it was just the uncomfortable weather, you wouldn't be feeling so grumpy, however that was sadly not the case.  
  
You could feel the light tremors in the earth since dawn. The titans were active outside of the forest; thumping around constantly in large numbers. You were not concerned with the titans entering your territory; the thick underbrush and close-knitted trees made it impossible for any giant to fit through. You were, however, worried about the implications of titans moving around so much and so loudly. They were always so quiet and still, often not moving from the same spot for days on end. The only thing that could cause them to become so active was if humans were nearby.  
  
 _That_ was what worried you.  
  
You weren't really sure how you felt about the idea of other humans being nearby. On the one hand, humans were destructive and had a tendency in attracting danger wherever they went. You already felt incredibly lucky that your presence here outside of the walls had gone unnoticed. You didn't want to encounter others and have your safety at risk. On the other hand, the idea of meeting others excited you. You could finally talk to someone else other than yourself, and perhaps you could live in the city and even have vain possessions again, such as jewellery.  
  
 _I could use the thread of the necklace to drain blisters and the jewels to reflect sunlight and create fire._  
  
You smacked yourself across the face, interrupting your thoughts.  
  
"I have been out here _way_ too long," you mumbled.  
  
Wiping the sweat off of your forehead, you slowly stood up from your spot on the grassy ground and stretched your limbs. You had been tending to your garden just outside of your house for most of the morning and you were already tired. Oddly enough, the work that required less movement, like gardening, was much more tiresome to you than jumping from tree to tree while hunting prey.  
  
Basket of berries in hand and a small smile on your face, you slowly entered your house. It was time to make lunch, and the thought of a full belly and an hour of relaxation was enough to brighten your mood ever so slightly.  
  
"Still have some leftovers from this morning," you hummed, placing your hand-woven basket onto the kitchen counter. "What do you think, Mr. Wilson?" you spun around on your heels, hands on your hips, and stared at the brown leather ball with a smudged red face resting on the dining table. A moment of silence passed before you nodded your head and hummed again. "That's a good idea, Mr. Wilson. I'll use the berries in a salad and have some of the leftover deer on the side."  
  
You quickly began rummaging through the small kitchen, grabbing the necessary ingredients and kitchen ware for your lunch preparations. You had just placed a carrot onto a cutting board to be diced, when you heard a sound that made you completely halt all your actions.  
  
A rustling sound could be heard outside of your house. It was faint at first, but then you heard it again in the direction of your garden. You let out a shaky breath. The sound had gotten closer.  
  
"No, dammit!" you whispered. Your light mood had quickly vanished and was replaced with anger.  
  
Today was just not your day.  
  
Placing your kitchen knife back down onto the counter, you silently moved towards your cabinet and strapped a quiver of arrows onto your back, followed by a wooden, stone-tipped spear. You grabbed your bow last, and then soundlessly slinked through the open window. The front door would make too much noise.  
  
The little red bugger was in your garden, sniffing around. You knew what it was looking for. Without hesitation, you quickly grabbed an arrow and aimed your bow at the fox. You hadn't been noticed yet, so you took that as your opportunity to unleash your arrow onto your target. It missed.  
  
"Crap!" you half shouted out in frustration. The arrow had just barely missed by an inch, and the movement had frightened the fox away. "Oh no you don't," you said, running off in the direction the animal had went and pulling out the stray arrow from the ground in the process. That fox had been a thorn in your side all week and you were tired of its shenanigans. You were going to catch that fox if it was the last thing you did.  
  
~~~~  
  
"I think I see a house up ahead!"  
  
Raspy sighs of relief could be heard among the small group of men. Shelter of any kind would have been a welcome sight to the soldiers that trudged and cut through the thick forest. And the sight that fell before them as the man in front of the small group cut down the last cluster of greenery with his blade had caused new hope to sliver into their tired bodies.  
  
It was a small, one-story wooden house with a stone chimney poking out on the side of the roof. In front of the house lay a couple of logs on the grass around a fire-pit with a few pots scattered on the ground. A clothesline made out of thin rope was connected between the house and a tree off the left of the forest clearing, and the left side of the house was surrounded by shrubs and a small garden.  
  
The men stood by the tree line in complete silence for a few moments before a short blond haired boy finally piped up.  
  
"There's a garden over there and it isn't overgrown. Someone must live here."  
  
A collective silence once more fell upon the group as the men stared at the little house in disbelief.  
  
"There's no way! People don't live outside of the walls and survive," one boy said, scoffing and turning his head away from the scenery.  
  
"Shut up, Jean!" a brunette boy said, voice full of irritation. "It's bad enough that I have to carry you. I don't want to have to smell your gross breath breathing down my neck too!"  
  
Jean, the tall male slumped over the brunette's back, lifted his uninjured arm and whacked him upside the head. "What did you say, Jaeger?!"  
  
Jaeger craned his neck to look up at his assailant and opened his mouth to retort, but quickly halted his actions as a cold, stony voice interrupted him.  
  
"Cadet Jaeger."  
  
The brown haired boy slowly turned his head back around to stare at the short man standing in front of the group and gulped nervously, "Y-yes, Sir!"  
  
The man remained silent for a brief moment as he stared at Jaeger with a bored expression and cold eyes. Finally, he spoke in a voice that could cause many grown men to cower and pointed towards the fire-pit, "Shut the fuck up and go sit Kirschtein on that log over there."  
  
"Y-yes, Corporal Levi!" Jaeger said, moving his arm to salute, but then stopping as he realized both of his arms were occupied carrying Jean on his back.  
  
Levi looked on at the duo retreating towards the house in disapproval, before turning his attention to the scrawny blond soldier standing at attention.  
  
"Cadet Arlert."  
  
"S-sir!"  
  
"I will check the house for any occupants. You will search for supplies to patch up that shitty brat."  
  
"Yes, Sir!" Arlert said with a salute.  
  
Levi approached the door and opened it without bothering to knock. Anyone in the house would have heard the two rivals bickering and would have come out to investigate. The two entered the house with blades ready as a precaution and scanned their surroundings.  
  
"Tch. Filthy," the corporal muttered, staring at the small room with piles of folded laundry, tools and weapons scattered about.  
  
Arlert pointed towards the kitchen counter where a lone carrot rested on a cutting board near a head of cabbage and a basket of berries. The food was fresh, a clear sign that someone lived here.  
  
Levi exited the small house to keep an eye out for the return of their unknown host as Arlert began to search the house for medical supplies.  
  
Jaeger rummaged through a satchel tied to the back of his hip and pulled out a small loaf of bread. His stomach rumbled at the sight and he tiredly brought the food to his mouth.  
  
"Oi, gimme some of that, Jaeger!"  
  
Jaeger glared at his injured rival and gritted out in a raspy voice, "Like hell I will, Horse Face!"  
  
~~~~  
  
It was nearing sunset and the frown that was etched upon your face hadn't left for hours. You were hungry, tired, and most of all, down right pissed off.  
  
The fox that had been tormenting you for days really lived up to its name. It was sly, annoyingly so, as the red animal had managed to outwit and escape you repeatedly since you had begun chasing it. You had tried many different tactics to catch the little pest, but each one failed. In the back of your mind you knew that there was no hope for you to catch the creature in such a state; you were grumpy and tired. But you were feeling far too stubborn to let the little food-thief get away, so you continued to hunt it despite not being clear-headed and properly prepared.  
  
The fox had ended up going back in the direction of your house, which you thought was weird, but as you continued to stalk it, you realized why.  
  
You almost forgot what you were doing as your eyes landed upon the group of four men standing and sitting around your fire-pit. A feeling of dread washed over you as you studied them from your spot up in a tree.  
  
You recognized them. Not just their gear and uniforms, but their faces belonged to people who you knew of.  
  
And that terrified you.  
  
Any lingering doubt that you may of had about being in a fictional world was definitely permanently extinguished. They weren't just characters of a story, they were _main characters_ and they were _real_.  
  
There was no way you could avoid a confrontation with them. They were at your house, which obviously didn't look deserted, so they knew that someone lived there. They were waiting for you to show up.  
  
But did you really have it in you to confront them? Meeting them would instantly change the direction of your life, and not only that, but you weren't even sure if you were still capable of communicating with others of your species. After all, you had been in this forest completely by yourself for about four years now.  
  
You could hear two of the boys, the main character named...Eren? Yes, that must be it, and...Jean... bickering over a loaf of bread. It may of been an argument and it may have been over something completely dumb, but the sound of someone's voice other than yours was music to your ears. They were speaking English too, which was a bit relieving.  
  
Your eyes narrowed in on your previously forgotten target, and all concerns momentarily faded away as your anger returned. The sneaky little fox had returned back to your home because the Eren boy had a loaf of bread. It could probably smell meat from the open door of your house too.  
  
The fox was hidden within the tall grass near the edge of the clearing and was staring at the Eren boy who sat with the other soldiers a distance away. A devious grin appeared on your face as you took note of the fox's distracted state and close proximity to your location in the tree.  
  
You slowly slid a large dagger out of its holster on your hip. Now was the perfect time to strike, and you were going to make it count.  
  
~~~~  
  
"There's a lot of bottles in the kitchen cupboards and it's hard to tell if any would help with Jean's wounds, but I did find some strips of cloth that can be used, Sir," Arlert said, holding out his hands clutching the cloth to show his superior.  
  
"Tch," Levi glanced at the tall boy hunched over on the log and arguing with his comrade. "Check if that kitchen tap is working, Cadet. We'll need water."  
  
The blond boy saluted the stoic man and said, "Yes, Sir!" He turned around to head back into the house, but just as he did so, his bright blue eyes caught onto something in the distance, causing him to stumble backwards in surprise. "L-look!" he exclaimed, pointing frantically at the trees not too far away from them.  
  
All heads turned to the direction in which Arlert had pointed to.  
  
A figure leaped off of a high tree branch and back-flipped into the air, before landing on the ground in a roll with a bundle of red clutched between their arms. The fox let out a high pitched whimper as the figure quickly moved into a crouched position and sliced the blade of their dagger through the animal's neck.  
  
The four soldiers stood in stunned silence, eyes glued to the scene before them. A new form of shock washed over them as the figure dropped the dead animal and rose to their feet.  
  
A woman.  
  
But not just any kind of woman, the men noticed, blushes crawling up their necks and cheeks reddening.  
  
Her (h/c) hair was long and untamed. Her eyes (e/c) and sharp. Her body was toned from years of hunting and striving to survive in the wilderness. But what really caught their attention, more than the giant bow and spear strapped to her back and the various blades and darts strapped to her hips, legs and arms, was her choice of clothes. Or rather, lack of.  
  
A raggedy, brown loincloth rested on her hips and ended at her upper thigh. Her chest, pressed together due to all of the leather straps wrapped around her to hold the weapons on her back, was covered in the same raggedy brown material with thin straps holding it from her shoulders.  
  
And that was pretty much it. A thin strip of black cloth was visible around her hips underneath the loincloth, and her stomach, legs and arms were otherwise completely bare. The soldiers had never seen someone dressed so revealing before.  
  
Eren saw Jean from the corner of his eye. "Horse Face, you're bleeding," he whispered.  
  
Jean wiped at the blood dripping from his nose and scowled at the titan shifter. "So are you, Jaeger," he replied.  
  
Eren's eyes widened and his blush darkened as he tried to hide his nosebleed. "Sh-shut up!" he said, turning his attention to the other two in his group.  
  
Arlert was a blushing mess, but Levi appeared to be as stoic as ever. The corporal took a step towards the strange woman, intending to stop the awkward atmosphere, but the woman beat him to the punch. His eyes narrowed slightly and his form became rigid as the woman clutched her bloody dagger and moved into a defensive stance. A dark look formed in her eyes and her lips curled into a snarl.  
  
Arlert gulped in fear. The situation was quickly becoming sour. He slowly backed away from his superior and the woman who were glaring daggers at each other. He stuttered in a quiet voice, "Th-this isn't good."


	4. Chapter 4

"What are you doing here?" you questioned.  
  
The boys' eyes widened at your hostile tone; your voice had come out as a low growl due to your throat being dry from lack of water. The short, black haired man seemed unfazed by your hostility and continued to stare at you with cold eyes.  
  
"We seek shelter," the black haired man replied in a monotone voice. His grey eyes continued to bore into yours as he slightly nodded his head in the direction where Jean sat. "We have an injured soldier who needs medical aid."  
  
You ceased the staring contest with the short man after a moment of silence, by throwing your dagger into the ground by your bare feet. You let out a grunt and curtly nodded your head at the men.  
  
"(First Name)," you said simply.  
  
The black haired man remained silent for a moment, before replying in a bored tone, "Levi."  
  
"I'm Eren Jaeger," the brunette said.  
  
"Jean Kirschtein," the injured one said, smirking at you.  
  
"A-Armin Arlert," the blonde one stuttered.  
  
You walked towards your house and motioned for the men to follow you as you passed them. "Put him on the bed," you said as the men cautiously entered your home.  
  
Eren brought Jean over to your unmade bed and Armin assisted in lifting his injured leg onto the mattress. You walked over to the kitchen without a second glance at the soldiers and grabbed a wooden bucket from beneath the counter.  
  
"There's a river not too far from here on the right. Go fill this up with water," you said to no one in particular, and placed the bucket onto the table.  
  
You could feel uncertain eyes boring into your back as you opened up your kitchen cupboards and rummaged through various unlabelled bottles and vials. You heard Levi order Eren to follow your instructions as you quietly picked out a bottle and brought it over to the kitchen table.  
  
"Shirt. Off," you said, gesturing to the blood-soaked shirt covering Jean's chest.  
  
Levi quickly silenced Jean's protests and removed the dirtied garment while Armin approached you with the strips of cloth he had found earlier. You snatched them from his hands and brought over another bucket that was already half filled with water, along with another piece of cloth. You soaked the cloth with the water and brought it to the wound on Jean's torso. A gash stretched over from the side of his left hip to above his navel and was temporarily closed by a layer of dried blood.  
  
After rinsing his wound with the cloth, you grabbed a small vial of clear liquid from the table, uncorked it, and dripped some of the substance onto the wet cloth.  
  
"What's that?" Armin asked, blue eyes furrowed in curiousity.  
  
"Wild onion extract," you replied.  
  
"Aaaand what's it for?" Jean asked with uncertainty lacing his voice. He attempted to shift away from you as you approached him with the cloth, but his open wound hindered him from moving very far.  
  
"Anti-septic," you said and proceeded to dab the cloth onto his injury. He hissed in pain at the stinging the substance caused, and jerked away from you. "Stop. Your. Moving," you commanded with a harsh voice and firmly pressed down onto his shoulder with your free hand.  
  
Jean had many injuries. Besides the gash on his torso, his left arm was covered in bruises and a two-inch long cut on his forearm. His torso and right arm had a few scratches, and his right cheek had another small cut as well. The worst part of his injuries, however, was the discolouration forming on his lower left leg.  
  
After patching the remainder of his wounds, you gently prodded the tender area on his leg. Jean groaned in pain at your actions and you quickly mumbled an apology.  
  
"You have a fracture in your leg," you stated, removing your hands and standing up. You turned to face the blonde boy and he flinched at the sudden attention. "There's some matches and dried leaves in a box over there by the fireplace. I need you to get a fire going," you said, eyes staring intently at him. "Please," you hesitatingly added in a softer tone after noticing Armin's uncomfortable fidgeting.  
  
The blonde visibly relaxed at your change in tone and nodded his head. "Y-yes, Ma'am", he replied, blue eyes full of determination as he set about igniting the fireplace.  
  
Without saying anything, you abruptly grabbed an axe hanging on a wall and exited your small home, leaving two startled boys and one suspicious man behind.  
  
The sun was already beginning to set and the air was starting to cool down. You sighed in annoyance at the receding sun; you still had much to do before dark. You rushed over to a tree at the edge of the clearing, placed the handle of the axe between your lips, and proceeded to climb as fast as you could. You studied a particular branch before taking the axe into your hands and bringing it down upon the limb with as much power as you could muster.  
  
"What are you doing?" came a voice from below.  
  
You halted your actions and peered down at the short black haired man standing in front of the tree. "The Jean person needs a splint for his leg," you said slowly. To say you were rusty at communicating with others was an understatement.  
  
Levi looked at you oddly for a split second, before his expression returned to stoic. He may have appeared to be bored, but you could feel his eyes watching your every movement like a hawk.  
  
"You distrust me," you observed. He didn't respond. Turning back to your task, you lifted the axe and said over your shoulder, "If you're going to stand there and stare at me, then make yourself useful and collect the branches that I'll drop down." You heard him make a "tch" sound before you continued to hack away at the tree branch.  
  
You dropped three branches down onto the ground from where you were perched in the tree. Levi picked up the fallen branches without a word and returned to the house before you could even jump down.  
  
The house was brightly lit by the fireplace when you entered. You nodded at the blonde boy and attempted to show a smile of appreciation, but it turned out as an awkward grimace. He looked at you warily and nervously twiddled his thumbs.  
  
"You," you pointed Eren who had returned with a bucket of water.  
  
Eren frowned slightly at your outstretched arm. "What?" he asked.  
  
"Pour the water into that pot," you pointed towards a large, black pot resting on the stone slab beside the fire, "and hang it over the fire. Then, go back to the river and refill the empty bucket."  
  
"Why don-"  
  
"Do as she says, Brat," Levi interrupted Eren.  
  
You turned your attention to Armin as Eren reluctantly exited your home with the emptied bucket.  
  
"I need you to chop the carrots on the counter," you said. Armin nodded his head and walked over to the kitchen counter.  
  
You switched your attention to Jean and handed him a bundled piece of cloth.  
  
"What's that for?" he asked, eyeing you and the item suspiciously.  
  
"Put it between your lips," you ordered, then sighed and rolled your eyes at his continued stare. "It's for biting into," you elaborated, then quickly shoved it in his mouth before he could react.  
  
You moved your hands to his fractured leg and swiftly pulled his bone back into place. Jean's eyes widened at the sudden action and he screamed and bit down onto the cloth in his mouth. Armin halted his work at the counter and looked on at the scene with worry etched onto his face, while Levi remained silent and observed you and your patient with emotionless eyes.  
  
With your guidance, Levi had helped you tie the two forked branches around Jean's fractured leg. You connected the splint with a smaller branch below his foot and wrapped a piece of cloth around his ankle. You then placed a stick against the ankle wrap and twisted it until his leg was straight, and then fastened it to the splint.  
  
By the time you had finished tending to Jean's wounds, the pot of water hanging over the fire had begun to boil. You carefully dunked a teapot into the pot and filled it up with some of the boiling water, then dropped a tea strainer full of crushed mint leaves inside of it. You placed the teapot onto the counter and waited for it to steep while you cleaned up the mess you had made when tending to Jean.  
  
"Um...I've finished cutting all the carrots..." Armin quietly told you.  
  
"Good. There's a sack of potatoes under the kitchen counter. Peal five of them," you ordered, then added after a moments pause, "please."  
  
"O-of course!" Armin said.  
  
You poured the tea into a clay cup and slowly brought it over to Jean.  
  
"What's this?" he asked.  
  
"Mint tea. It'll help you relax," you explained.  
  
You walked towards the front door with a basket in hand, and abruptly stopped just as you were about to exit your small home. You turned around and faced the black haired man who stood by the table, looking out of place. "Oi, short man," you called out.  
  
Jean and Armin grew tense at your words and looked at you with wide eyes. The air quickly grew heavy, but you remained oblivious to the change in atmosphere as you patiently waited for the man to reply.  
  
"What did you just call me, Brat?" Levi said. Armin and Jean visibly flinched at his dark tone.  
  
You completely ignored his death glare and gestured towards Jean. You opened your mouth to speak, but paused, then slowly said, "You must watch over the...Jean...person...while I gather some vegetables from the garden. Let me know if anything goes wrong." You quickly left the house, not even waiting for Levi's response.  
  
Jean stared at your retreating figure with confusion. "...What did she just call me?"  
  
~~~~  
  
You returned shortly after picking some food from your garden, with Eren not too far behind you. He placed the bucket of water on the counter and you joined Armin in chopping vegetables. You added the chopped vegetables into the boiling water and sprinkled in some spices. While the vegetables were cooking, you went back outside and skinned and gutted the fox you had killed. You used the light streaming through the windows as your guide, as the sun had already gone down.  
  
"Blonde boy," you called from where you leaned against the door frame.  
  
Armin turned around to face you and visibly cringed at your bloodied hands. "Uh...yes?" he asked.  
  
"I can't touch anything at the moment. There's some left over deer wrapped in a cloth in that cupboard over there. Cut it into cubes and put it into the pot...please."  
  
"A-alright," he said.  
  
You nodded at him and then went back outside to finish cutting the fox meat.  
  
You returned with a bucket full meat and proceeded to wash your hands and the meat in the sink. The tap didn't work, but the drain did, so you always made sure to have the drain plugged and the sink full with fresh water. You flushed out the water after washing everything and replaced it with the bucket of water Eren had brought in. You then placed the strips of fox meat into the water and sprinkled it with salt.  
  
"What're you doing?" came a voice from behind you.  
  
You glanced over your shoulder and saw a pair of bright green eyes staring at you. "Preparing the meat for tomorrow," you said. "I don't normally hunt fox, as I can get bigger pelts from other animals, and their meat isn't very good unless prepared properly." You looked down at the fox meat and frowned. "But this fox tried to eat any meat I left outside to dry and was stealing from my garden. So I killed it. But I don't want it to go to waste after all the effort," you explained.  
  
You almost regretted your decision to hunt the red animal. The little amount of salt you had was already in the house when you had stumbled upon it four years ago, and was quickly diminishing. You also didn't have any vinegar, and the climate wasn't warm enough to grow limes or lemons, so you had to substitute any cooking that required acetic acid with tomato juice, which wasn't very effective.  
  
After preparing the meat for tomorrow, you poured the hot stew into five bowls and served them to the soldiers.  
  
With the addition of four people inside your tiny home, the living space was certainly crowded. You were no where near prepared for guests, as evidenced by the hunting equipment and laundry cluttering all but one of the four dining chairs. Levi claimed the only empty chair near the fire, Jean was slightly propped up on your bed, and Armin and Eren sat beside each other between the bed and the fireplace. You situated yourself on the floor against the cabinet on the opposite wall from everyone.  
  
The men sat in silence and stared at you. You sighed in annoyance when you noticed that none of them had taken a bite of their food. "It's not poisoned," you said. As if to show a point, you scooped a large portion of the stew onto your spoon and shoved it in your mouth.  
  
Your guests started to slowly eat the stew. You figured if they weren't distrustful of you and the food wasn't so hot, they would probably be wolfing their food down. You were also incredibly hungry and exhausted from a long day and skipping lunch, but the stew had already burnt your tongue when you foolishly took a big bite, so you had no choice but to pace yourself as well.  
  
Jean's face contorted into a look of concentration as he ate. "It's a bit bland," he commented.  
  
You stared blankly at him. "I know how to survive, not pull chocolate cake out of my ass," you deadpanned.  
  
Eren snorted at your comment, Jean choked a bit on his food, and Armin stared at you with wide eyes. You smirked at their reactions.  
  
"Just be glad you're eating a meal and not starving, Kirschtein," Levi said.  
  
"Uh, yes, Sir."  
  
"So...um...(Name)," Armin slowly began, "what are you doing here outside of the walls?"  
  
All eyes shifted towards you. You took your time with chewing the bite in your mouth and slowly swallowed. The suspense had them hooked, you could tell, as their eyes remained glued to you. Finally, you opened your mouth and simply said, "Surviving."  
  
"Well, yeah. But how did you get here without getting eaten? And why are you here?" Jean asked.  
  
"I dunno," you shrugged. It was true. You really didn't know. After four years of living in this fictional world, you still hadn't recalled anything of importance from your life before.  
  
"How long have you been here?" inquired Armin.  
  
"About four years."  
  
"So...how old are you?" Jean asked, eyeing you up and down with a smirk on his face.  
  
You frowned at him. "17 or 18. Maybe 19. Or 16. Not 100% percent sure. But must likely 18," you replied. While you did know your date of birth, you weren't sure of your exact age when you had arrived four years ago, so all you could do was guess.  
  
The boys stared at you in silence, mouths agape in shock at your confusing answer.  
  
Eren quickly changed the subject. "We didn't encounter any titans the entire time we were walking in this forest. And I didn't see any while fetching water," he said.  
  
"Yup," you said. Eren looked at you oddly. _Oh, he must want an explanation or something_ , you realized. "The forest is very dense. Plants and trees are all very close together. The titans are too large to fit through," you explained.  
  
"That was obvious from the start. How could you not pick up on that, idiot?" Levi asked Eren.  
  
Eren flinched. "I-I was preoccupied with carrying Kirschtein, Sir," he defended.  
  
"Tch. You're as dense as this forest."  
  
Noticing everyone had finished their meal, you abruptly stood up, effectively ending your guests' conversation, and placed your empty bowl on the counter. You grabbed the bottle of onion extract and a few pieces of cloth and spun around to face the men.  
  
"I need to treat your wounds," you said, pointing to Levi and Armin.  
  
"They're just scratches," Levi said.  
  
You shook your head at him. "Doesn't matter. When out in the wilderness, you are much more prone to infection. Any wound, no matter how small, has the potential to turn into something much more severe if left untreated."  
  
Your words halted any further protesting, and you soon had cleaned and patched up all of Levi and Armin's wounds. Eren didn't have any, of course, as you recalled him having some sort of self-healing ability, which you didn't dare let them know you were aware of.  
  
Shortly after you had put away the medical supplies, you pulled out all the pillows and blankets you had in the cabinet and handed them out to your guests. Eren, Armin, and Levi took the items and set up their beds on the floor while you unstrapped all of your weapons and pouches and carefully placed them on the cluttered table.  
  
"Where's your blanket?" Armin asked you as you laid down on the hard wood floor across from them.  
  
"I don't need one," you mumbled.  
  
"But you don't even have a pillow and you're...um...not in warm clothing. You'll get cold," Armin persisted.  
  
"I'll be fine," you said, resting your head on your arm.  
  
"But-"  
  
"I said I'll be fine!" you snapped.  
  
Armin looked taken aback by your harsh tone and quickly stuttered out an apology. The room had become silent as everyone settled into their makeshift beds, with the exception of Jean, who took up your bed. Exhaustion finally caught up to you and just as you were about to fall asleep, a quiet voice filled the room.  
  
"Thank you for your hospitality, (Name)," Armin said.  
  
A collective mumble of sleepy "thank yous" followed after from the other men in the room. Your eyes shut closed and just before sleep completely enveloped you, your lips formed into a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

_"8."  
  
A young girl smiling. The sun shining down on her hat and hair. A large fish dangling on the end of her fishing pole. A middle aged man cheering. His hand pats her on the back.  
  
"Give us an update on your situation."  
  
A white motorboat in the distance.  
  
The daughter and father smiling into a camera. Their laughter echoing in the air.  
  
Water ripples from the motorboat.  
  
He takes off her hat and ruffles her hair. She laughs and takes his hat. It droops over her eyes. The wind picks up. Their rowboat sways. Her hat falls from his hand and is lost in the wind.  
  
The motorboat is closer.  
  
"Target in sight."  
  
A shot. The driver slumps over and into the water. The motorboat crashes into a jagged rock.  
  
"8, target disappeared off our radar. What's your status?"  
  
A shout of surprise from the little girl. The father rows the boat to shore and runs to investigate.  
  
"8. What's your status?"  
  
The motor boat explodes.  
  
"8."  
  
The girl cries out in horror.  
  
"8!"  
  
Thick black smoke rises from the wreckage. The girl clutches her father's hat and weeps.  
  
"Target eliminated...One civilian casualty."_  
  
The warm glow from the fireplace weakened as the hours went by and was eventually unable to fight off the cold night air from wrapping around the girl's bare skin. The shivers that wracked her barely clothed body grew more violent as the night dragged on.  
  
"Tch. Idiot."  
  
A warm blanket draped over her shivering form and she unconsciously snuggled into the fabric. Levi rose from his crouched position and turned away from the slumbering girl nestled in his blanket.  
  
"Eight..." she mumbled.  
  
The corporal quickly spun around to look at the girl, expecting to see her eyes open and staring at him. Her eyes were still closed and her breathing was calm.  
  
"Eight?" he repeated in a whisper.  
  
The girl hummed and nuzzled further into the warm blanket. Levi let out a sigh and quietly returned to his makeshift bed on the floor across the room. Wrapping his cloak around himself as a substitute blanket, the black haired man quickly fell asleep once more.  
  
~~~~  
  
The sun was barely in the sky and you were already up and starting your day. Your guests were still sleeping as you tiptoed around the house, grabbing the necessary items in a basket for your morning routine. You left the house through the window so as not to awaken your guests, and leisurely strolled towards the river.  
  
The water was cold against your naked body as you walked into the river. You floated in the water for a few minutes, dunking your head under and swimming around every now and then until your body had adjusted to the cold temperature. You swam up to the shore and grabbed a bar of handmade soap from the basket you had placed on a rock, then proceeded to scrub your skin and hair.  
  
The sky was brighter by the time you had finished bathing, and you had sat beside the basket on the rock with your legs dangling in the water. You found your hair dried fastest while brushing it under the sun's rays, so you reached into the basket and pulled out an old hair brush you had found in the house and started the troublesome process of untangling your wet locks.  
  
You were almost finished brushing your hair when a rustling sound came from behind you. You snapped your head towards the sound and stared at the two figures approaching from behind the trees.  
  
"The river's right he-"  
  
Eren's voice caught in his throat as he abruptly stopped in his tracks and stared at you with wide, green eyes. The bucket clutched in Armin's hand hit the ground as he too looked at you with his mouth agape and eyes wide.  
  
"Ah. You two are awake," you said. "Is the short man and the Jean person awake too?"  
  
"I-I-I I am so s-sorry!" Armin squeaked, slapping his hands over his scarlet face.  
  
Eren's cheeks burned a deep crimson as he slowly turned his head to the side and let out an awkward cough. "I didn't know you'd be bathing here...s-sorry..." he mumbled.  
  
You narrowed you eyes at the flustered boys in confusion. "What are you apologizing for?" you asked.  
  
"Y-you're naked!" Eren exclaimed.  
  
You shrugged and continued brushing your hair. "So?" you questioned.  
  
Eren flinched at your question and turned to look at you incredulously, but quickly stopped himself and covered his eyes. "What do you mean 'so'?!" he practically shouted.  
  
You ignored him and directed your attention to the shy blonde who had his face turned away from you. "Blonde Boy, is the short man and the Jean person awake?" you repeated.  
  
Armin flinched at the sudden attention and stuttered out a "yes".  
  
You nodded at his response and placed your hairbrush back into the basket. "Alright. Time for breakfast then," you said, standing up. You grabbed your clothes for the day out of the basket and quickly changed into them. "I'm not naked," you stated to the two boys after a moment of silence.  
  
The two slowly removed their hands and shyly peeked at you, as if expecting you to still be nude, and sighed in relief at your appearance. You had adorned a handmade bra and underwear and had covered it with a pair of tan short-shorts and a loose fitting men's white button-up shirt, which you had found in the house. The shirt drooped and exposed your left shoulder and almost covered your shorts entirely. The blushes on the boys' faces returned, as well as their stuttering, as they both realized you were still relatively revealing.  
  
You rolled your eyes at their reactions and picked up your basket. "What're you doing here, anyway?" you questioned.  
  
"C-Corporal Levi o-ordered us to get water so we c-can clean y-your house..." Armin mumbled.  
  
"Oh he did, did he?" you said, eyes narrowing.  
  
The two soldiers jerked in surprise at the evident anger in your tone, and cautiously backed away from you. You ignored them and walked towards the path leading back to your house.  
  
"Don't get killed by a bear on your way back," you called over your shoulder to the two, catching a quick glimpse of Armin's face contorting into fear at your words.  
  
~~~~  
  
The first thing you saw when you entered the clearing was your kitchen table and other various items strewn about the grass in front of your house. Jean was sitting on one of the logs outside, with the splint on his leg making his posture stiff and awkward. He grinned and waved at you when you walked by and you grunted in response, eyes narrowed at the open doorway leading into your home.  
  
Levi had his back facing you and was rummaging through the small stash of cleaning supplies you kept stored in the bathroom. You could hear him making grunts and mumbles of disapproval as he examined your supplies, while you silently stepped towards him.  
  
" _What are you doing?_ " your voice was low and dark.  
  
You could see his shoulders tense as your breath hit the right side of the back of his neck. He tilted his head in your direction and glanced at you with bored, grey eyes.  
  
"Your house is dirty as fuck," he stated.  
  
Your face was shadowed due to facing away from the windows; inevitably increasing the intensity of your dark stare. Your damp locks slowly slipped and cascaded over his right shoulder as you continued to hover behind him. He broke the staring contest and directed his grey eyed gaze to your (h/c) hair and gently held a smooth lock between his fingers.  
  
"I see you still find the time to maintain personal hygiene," he said, rubbing his fingers ever so slightly through your lock of hair.  
  
You stared curiously at his action for a moment, before parting your lips and saying, "I make sure to stay as clean as possible with what I've got. I hate being filthy." You couldn't even begin to express how much you missed having deodorant.  
  
His hand idly twirled your hair around his finger as he gazed up at you. "As long as you live in a filthy house, you're going to be filthy."  
  
Eyes narrowed, you grabbed his hand firmly in yours, causing his grip to loosen around your hair. "Hey, I do my best with the little time that I have for such things."  
  
"Tch. Your best isn't good enough, brat," he said, returning the glare.  
  
"Um...s-sorry, Sir, for interrupting..."  
  
You let go of Levi's hand and turned around to glance at the small blond haired boy standing in the doorway with a brunette behind him. Levi faced his cadets, putting some space in between you two in the process.  
  
"What is it, Cadet Arlert?" he questioned, voice and expression as stoic as ever.  
  
"We've gathered some water, Sir," Armin said, both arms meekly lifting the heavy bucket as demonstration. You noticed a blush covering the boy's cheeks and his blue eyes questioningly glancing between you and Levi.  
  
"Good. Set the water down outside and come help me clear out this filthy house," the corporal ordered.  
  
You whipped your head around to face him, eyes alight with anger. "Did I say that you could go through my stuff and clean my house, Short Man?" your voice was laced with venom and your eyes dared him to challenge you.  
  
Levi ignored your dangerous stare and stepped right in front of you. He glared up at you and you stared him down; your noses almost touching.  
  
"Did I fucking stutter, Brat?" he asked in a cold whisper. "I told you that your house is dirty as fuck. That means that I'm going to clean it, whether you give a shit or not."  
  
"I am _not_ one of your cadets," you seethed. "This is _my house_ and you are _my guest_ , so you will _ask me_ for permission for such things!"  
  
Armin gathered up all of his courage and stepped between your silent showdown with the corporal. "(N-Name), please!" he cried out, big blue eyes shining brightly at you with determination and small hands clutching onto your sleeve. "We appreciate everything you've done for us! If it weren't for you, we'd be cold and starving. We understand you are very busy and now you have an even bigger burden with caring for us, so please let us help you in return for your hospitality! We wish to clean your house and do any other task as a show of thanks!"  
  
Your eyes softened at the boy and you could feel your anger fading away. Armin visibly blushed at the gentle smile that settled on your lips. You slowly brought your arm up and hesitatingly placed your hand on top of his head, lightly ruffling his hair. "Alright, Blonde Boy," you said, then added with a faint look of adoration in your eyes, "You are too cute to say no to."  
  
Armin's face grew warmer at your admission and he began to stutter out incomprehensible words, before the corporal interrupted him with a sigh of exasperation and ordered him and Jaeger to get to work. You smiled faintly at the two cadets, then frowned slightly at the black haired man, before leaving the house to attend to your other morning chores.  
  
~~~~  
  
"Uh...(Name)?" you glanced up from where you sat at the kitchen table and looked at the boy perched up on your made bed across the room.  
  
"What?" you asked, taking a bite of the fox stew you had made with the assistance of Armin.  
  
"What's...that?" Jean asked, his finger pointing towards something behind you.  
  
You noticed the other three soldiers sitting at the table and staring at whatever Jean was pointing at with curious eyes. You turned around slightly in your chair and immediately noticed the brown leather ball on the counter with a painted face and straw protruding out of the top.  
  
"Yeah...I saw that while we were cleaning your house and wondered what it was too," said Eren.  
  
"It looks kind of...like art?" Armin piped in.  
  
You reached out and grabbed the ball and placed it on the table. "This is Mr. Wilson," you said, a small smile on your face.  
  
Eren broke the silence that fell after your statement. "...Mr. Wilson...?"  
  
You hummed and nodded your head in response.  
  
"He looks very..." Armin leaned over slightly and peered at the ball with a perturbed look on his face, "...interesting," he finished cautiously, not wanting to be the one to wipe the smile off your face.  
  
"The thing looks like shit," the corporal said.  
  
The smile on your lips fell and you shot a dark glare towards Levi. "You're just jealous because Mr. Wilson is much better company than you'll ever be," you scoffed.  
  
"Wait! Are you saying you talk to that ball?" Jean asked, brows furrowed in confusion.  
  
"Yes," you simply replied.  
  
The boys stared at you in stunned silence for a long moment.  
  
"That's...kinda weird, (Name)," Jean said.  
  
You gave him a blank look. "I've been in complete isolation for four years," you said flatly.  
  
Armin nodded his head. "It's not really that weird when you think about it," he said. "She hasn't had contact with anyone for years, so it's only natural for her psyche to conjure up a companion to voice all her thoughts to."  
  
Eren shrugged. "I guess that makes sense..." he said.  
  
"You should throw that thing out," Levi suddenly said. "I just cleaned this place and that shitty ball makes the room look less clean."  
  
"I'd sooner feed you to a bear than do such a thing to Mr. Wilson," you growled at the corporal.  
  
Sensing a fight, Armin quickly jumped up from his seat, catching your and Levi's attention. "W-well! This was a good lunch, (Name)! Th-thank you for the meal," he said, nervously scratching the back of his neck.  
  
Eren could sense his friend's discomfort and decided to join in. "Yeah, thanks, (Name). Is there...uh...anything you want us to help you with?"  
  
They fidgeted under your silent stare until you finally said, "I need to check on the Jean person's wounds before I head out to hunt. I'll need some of the wood outside chopped into firewood, so if one of you could do that, that'd be great." You stood up from your chair and collected the empty dishes from around the room. "Also, I know it's been a long morning for you all, so feel free to use the river to bathe and wash your clothes. Just don't stray away from the river or the house, otherwise you could interfere with my hunting," you added.  
  
The boys nodded at your words and Armin helped you wash the dishes, while Levi inspected and rewashed any dish that didn't reach his standard of cleanliness. You stopped and left the task to the two soldiers while Eren exited the house to chop some firewood.  
  
Armin and Levi had already left the house by the time you were done inspecting and re-bandaging Jean's wounds. Levi presumably went off to the river while Armin stayed behind to chat with Eren.  
  
You went to the cabinet to prepare for your hunt. You only intended to catch small game today, so you opted out on changing your outfit and adorning your full set of hunting gear. Instead, you only took with you your bow and arrows, a couple of snares, and a pouch of bait.  
  
You were going to have to find a way to alter your routine to properly incorporate the new tasks you had now that there were guests staying at your home. You frowned at the thought, knowing that there would be a lot of missed hours of sleep and tasks that would be finished too late while adjusting and working out a new, suitable routine.  
  
"Just perfect," you sighed as you left the forest clearing. You began your familiar walk into the forest, checking for signs of animals, as you frowned and muttered sarcastically, "That's exactly what I want; to be a damn babysitter."


	6. Chapter 6

The moment the faintest bit of light started to trickle through the curtains, you were awake and gathering your clothes for the day. You felt eyes on the back of your head as you silently closed the cabinet doors and turned around to meet the cold gaze of the groggy corporal. His eyes shifted to the windows briefly before returning to you with a frown etched into his face. You ignored his stare and quietly slipped through the window with your basket of toiletries.  
  
When you returned to your humble abode after a relaxing bath, your guests were already awake and sitting at the table, with the exception of Jean who looked miserable to be bedridden. You stopped short in the entrance and stared at the soldiers who were talking amongst each other, and it wasn't until they looked up at you that you noticed the solemn atmosphere surrounding them.  
  
You slowly averted your gaze away from the soldiers and walked towards the bathroom; your body stiff from all the eyes following you. You could hear them speaking in hushed tones while you finished up your routine, which instantly ceased the moment you stepped outside of the small adjoining room. You frowned at the men staring at you and proceeded towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast.  
  
"(Name)."  
  
You turned around to face the short corporal and stared him down with eyes full of distrust. "What?" you questioned sharply.  
  
If Levi was phased by your obvious hostility, he did not show it. "We'll be leaving soon," he said simply.  
  
Your expression quickly morphed into one that said _are you stupid?_ "What? There's no way you can do that," you said, your voice changed from its usual monotone to a higher, surprised pitch.  
  
Levi's eyes narrowed. "It's not up for discussion, brat," he said.  
  
You scoffed at his words and quickly glanced at the cadets who were staring at the two of you in nervous silence. You leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed your arms. "Look, Short Man," you began, earning a glare from the corporal, "as much as I'd love to have you out of my hair, you can't leave just yet. The fracture in the Jean person's leg will take over a month to fully heal. Unless you want to guarantee your death, you can't leave until he is ready."  
  
Levi tilted his head slightly and silently stared at you for a brief moment. "You're going to take care of complete strangers for a whole month?"  
  
You rolled your (e/c) eyes at him. "Of course not," you said, leaving your spot against the counter to rummage through the cupboards. "I will host you here and aid you in recovering, but I already have too much on my plate to be your babysitters," you said over your shoulder. "You will all have to contribute by doing chores to help make up for the extra time I will have to spend providing for you."  
  
You could hear Jean loudly and dramatically groan with dread from his spot on your bed.  
  
"Shut up, Kirschtein," Levi ordered.  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
"I think it's fair," Armin said. "It'll give us more time to come up with a solid plan and to prepare for our departure."  
  
Levi sighed. "A month is a long time. We'll all be reported MIA," he said.  
  
"But we're not!" Eren argued. "And they'll all see that when we return a month from now."  
  
"It's not for you to decide, Jeager," Levi spat, glaring the boy down.  
  
"It's not for you to decide either," you quickly cut in.  
  
Levi stood from his seat and placed his hands on the table. He leaned forward, his cold glare redirected to you. "Excuse me, brat?" his voice was like ice.  
  
You turned around to fully face him and gave him a blank stare. "It's not for you to decide because there is no decision to be made," you replied. "It's true that you might be successful if you leave right now, but your chances of survival will be much greater if you just wait. Also, I'm the only one who knows this forest and the best ways to take advantage of it, so you'll need me as a guide, and I sure as hell am not leaving any time soon."  
  
The corporal made a "tch" sound before curtly nodding his head and returning to his seat. "There will be consequences for leaving so late, but I agree that it's the safest option," he said.  
  
Jean visibly sighed in relief and Armin smiled. Eren, however, looked pensive.  
  
"What're we gonna be doing while we wait in this forest for a month?" the titan shifter asked.  
  
You grabbed a yellowed piece of paper from a drawer and held it in front of the soldiers. "Like I said. Chores."  
  
Levi snatched the piece of parchment from your hands. His eyes widened slightly and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the contents on the paper. Armin took note of the subtle change in his expression and a look of worry spread across his delicate features.  
  
"W-what is it, Sir?" the blonde asked.  
  
Levi crumpled the paper into a tight ball and chucked it at you. You reflexively dodged the projectile, causing the crumpled ball to land in the empty sink. "The letters are written backwards," he spat, grey eyes piercing yours.  
  
"Wait, what?" Eren said.  
  
Armin quickly retrieved the paper and flattened it out. His face contorted into bewilderment at the letters scribbled on the parchment.  
  
"Why...?" Armin's voice trailed off in confusion as he awaited your explanation.  
  
"Holy crap, is Ms. Amazonian Warrior Princess actually trying to be funny?" Jean added.  
  
Eren whipped his head around to glare at his comrade. "Shut up, Kirschtein. You don't even know what an Amazonian is," he said.  
  
Jean scoffed. "Of course I do. Armin told us a story about it, remember? Idiot."  
  
"I..." your voice was barely audible but instantly silenced the boys' bickering as they listened in anticipation. You plucked the paper from Armin's hands and examined it. "I don't understand," you said slowly, shifting your puzzled gaze to your guests. "My writing is perfectly fine."  
  
Jean fell out of the bed at your response. The pain didn't even register in him as he stared at you with wide eyes and mouth agape. He looked as though he were struggling between being shocked and being amused.  
  
"But, (Name), your letters are backwards. You can't see that?" Armin questioned as he assisted his comrade back into bed.  
  
You frowned. "No. It's not backwards," you said, examining the words once more. You had absolutely no idea what they were going on about. Yes, your writing was a bit messy and the spelling wasn't the greatest, but that was because you barely wrote a thing within the four years you had been in the forest. Backwards, though? No way. It was completely normal and readable to you. You knew for sure that if you wrote backwards you'd be aware of it, as it would take much longer than writing normally.  
  
The genuine confusion displayed on your features was evident to the corporal. He sighed and approached you with his hand outstretched. "Give me paper and something to write with. You can then tell me what you wrote and I'll write it down."  
  
You pushed his hand away. "No. My writing is not backwards. You can either read it the way it is or...read it the way it is," you said, placing your hands on your hips. His eyes narrowed at your response and you quickly walked back to the kitchen counter. "Shut up now. There will be no arguments. You will do the chores on that list and I will make breakfast."  
  
Levi was glaring holes in your head but you ignored his fuming and gestured for Armin to join you at the counter.  
  
"Um...maybe you could just tell us what the chores are verbally, (Name)?" Armin suggested as you handed him a wooden bowl and instructed him. "Please?" he added, large blue eyes pleading with yours.  
  
A long sigh escaped your lips and your shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine," you said, then placed your hand atop his blonde head, causing him to gasp in surprise. You looked him dead in the eye as you spoke firmly, "You will assist me with cooking, gardening, tending to the Jean person's wounds and keeping an eye on him whenever I am gone, herbal mixtures, and any other miscellaneous task that I may have." You removed your hand from his head and quickly spun on your heel before he could even so much as blink.  
  
"Uhh..." Eren looked at you with uncertainty as you approached him and placed your hand on his head.  
  
"Gathering firewood, chopping firewood, creating and maintaining a fire in the fireplace, gathering and emptying water," you listed off in rapid succession before leaving the titan shifter and approaching Jean.  
  
You placed your hand on Jean's head and stared down at him in silence. He shifted uncomfortably beneath your steely gaze. "Don't think you're gonna get off scot-free just because you're injured," you said, causing him to sigh and curse under his breath. "You will assist me in patching and sewing some old clothes into something suitable so none of you will have to wear the same uniform each day."  
  
"Ha! You have to sew, Kirschtein," Eren teased.  
  
"Shut up!" Jean spat. "I suck at sewing," he whined at you.  
  
You shrugged. "Too bad," you said, then approached the last target on your list.  
  
Levi gripped your wrist midair and glared at you. You yanked your limb free from his grasp and frowned.  
  
"You're finicky. So you will do dishes, laundry, and any other cleaning task that demands attention," you said, then returned to your post at the kitchen counter without waiting for a response. You began to prepare a morning meal suitable for five people and let out another long sigh at the thought of the dreadful month that you would have to endure.  
  
~~~~  
  
You leaned back in the wooden chair, a yawn escaping your lips as the feeling of a satisfying meal and the warmth of the fire brought out the exhaustion within you. It had been another long day, and you grimly noted that your chores tired you out much faster than when you were alone. Your eyes lazily traced the lines in the ceiling as your thoughts drowned out the ambient chatter of the men sitting at the table with you.  
  
You were reminded of the morning when you had picked up on the sadness that seemed to hang over your guests when you had returned from your bath, and it was then that it occurred to you that they probably weren't just discussing their return trip to the walled city.  
  
"Hey," you said, abruptly cutting into your guests' conversation as you straightened yourself in your chair. "What were you talking about this morning?"  
  
The room fell silent. It was the first time you really showed any form of curiosity or interest towards the men, and the cadets looked between you and the corporal with uncertainty.  
  
"Our expedition," Levi replied.  
  
You frowned at his lack of elaboration and urged him to continue. "What happened?"  
  
"It wasn't a success, obviously," he spat, anger flitting in his grey eyes.  
  
"We were ambushed by Aberrants," Eren's voice was tight and his jaw clenched as he spoke. "We were supposed to capture a couple of titans, but they all came at us at once."  
  
Levi sighed in exasperation at the cadet. "No point in hiding it now, since you decided to be a blabbermouth," he said.  
  
Eren shot up from his seat and slammed his hands down onto the table, the empty plates and cutlery tittering in response. "How can I keep quiet about what happened?!" he shouted. "I saw so many die! And Mikasa, she'll be in the infirmary for _months!_ She wasn't even _conscious_ when they hauled her away! And then we get chased by even more Aberrants and get stranded in some random forest! Everyone thinks we're _dead!_ What will they do when they think that Humanity's Last Hope is dead?!"  
  
"Sit down, Cadet!" Levi ordered. "A lot of shit happened, but you will _calm. The. Fuck. Down._ Or I will beat your ass," he threatened, his voice like venom. "Do you understand, brat?" he added.  
  
Eren continued to stand and defiantly glare at his superior. Levi stood from his seat and closed in on the titan shifter.  
  
" _Sit. Down_ ," he ordered once more.  
  
"Sorry for bringing it up," you interrupted. The two soldiers broke off their heated glaring to look at you. "You have my sympathies, Eren Boy," you said. You paused to observe the fuming men, then continued to speak when they remained silent. "Like I said, I'll be your guide out of this forest and I'll aid you in whatever way I can so that you may safely return home. Things may be hell now, but when you return in a month, you can set things straight."  
  
Eren visibly relaxed at your words, but a frown was still etched on his face. He nodded at you before exiting the house without another word. Armin rose from his seat and quickly apologized for his friend's behaviour, then followed him out of the house.  
  
You internally sighed. You sincerely hoped you were right. He was the main character, after all, which meant that he couldn't die, right?  
  
Right?  
  
~~~~  
  
Levi's eyes slowly fluttered open. The room was dimly lit by the glow of the fireplace and he could hear the collective sound of soft snores and the crackling of the fire. But there was something else that he heard above the ambience, and as his groggy mind began to clear, realization slowly sunk in. It was the faint sound of your voice, he noted, as his eyes scanned the room for your missing figure. He silently rose from his makeshift bed and cautiously followed your muffled voice outside.  
  
"I had another one of those dreams, Mr. Wilson," he could faintly hear you say. He instantly recalled the strange mumbling you had made whilst sleeping the previous night.  
  
"It was sad..." you murmured. Levi could hear the distinct solemnity in your tone as he crept ever nearer to your location.  
  
"I think it was a memory," you added. Levi could see you now. Your back was turned to him and your figure was hunched over in the grass, your knees tucked against your chest and your chin resting on top, with your hands clutching what Levi saw as the outline of the filthy ball you owned.  
  
"I remember when I arrived here that I imagined a girl fishing with her father on a small boat," you continued. You were sitting behind the back of the house, the building blocking out most of the moonlight from illuminating your form.  
  
"Then I dreamed of it. It was in a weird perspective, as if I was watching it from a distance." Levi leaned against the wall and peered at you from around the corner.  
  
"He died." Levi's eyes furrowed at your words.  
  
"The father died," you repeated. The minutes went by in complete silence as Levi watched on unbeknownst to you. Just as he was about to turn away and head back into the house, you spoke once more, slightly startling him in the process.  
  
"I think that the girl was me," you almost whispered. Levi's eyes widened not at your words, but at what you did next.  
  
You tightly clutched the ball to your chest and your body began to shake. A quiet sob escaped your lips.  
  
You were crying.


	7. Chapter 7

_The bright sun illuminates the crowd.  
  
Clad in black garments that accentuate their dark rimmed eyes.  
  
They stand together in painful silence.  
  
The sun does not permit any rain to wash away their tears.  
  
A young girl stands closest to the dark pit in the dry dirt.  
  
Her sobs are quiet and chokes the air out of her lungs.  
  
Still she stands in quiet solemnity until the sun is bright no more.  
  
Until she is the only one keeping the upturned soil company.  
  
A hand ghosts over her shoulder.  
  
She meets the eyes of another female.  
  
She is young and dressed head-to-toe in black; another funeral attendant, no doubt.  
  
But she does not know this female.  
  
Her face is a clouded mist; familiar, yet unknown.  
  
"Let me help you," the female's voice is faint and echoes around them. "You don't need to be alone anymore."  
  
A man in a black suit appears and grabs the female.  
  
"It isn't your place to interfere, 8," is all the man says, as he drags her away.  
  
The young girl watches on in silent apathy, before turning back around.  
  
She does not move whilst she stares at the new grave before her feet.  
  
Alone._  
  
~~~~  
  
 _Creeek._  
  
Your eyes shot open.  
  
 _Crik.  
  
What the hell was that?_  
  
You bolted upright in your makeshift bed and whipped your head in every direction. The room was still relatively dark, just before sunrise, but you could still see the faint outlines of the men slumbering on the floor across the room. Your wide eyes continued to study the room, your ears perked and struggling to listen over the pounding of your heart, and your body as still as stone.  
  
 _Creek._  
  
You scrambled up from your spot on the hardwood floor into a standing position. The rustling sound and your heavy breathing from moving so fast had caused some of your guests to stir. Levi opened his eyes slowly and groggily looked at your tense form. He shot up from his bed and looked at you with alarm.  
  
His eyes followed your gaze up to the ceiling, before looking back at you with suspicion. "What're you doing?" he whispered.  
  
A soft groan escaped Armin's lips as his eyes fluttered open. He stared hazily at the corporal until his vision adjusted and the gears in his head began to turn. The moment he saw you, standing like a deer in front of headlights, his eyes widened and he sat up as well.  
  
You raised your index finger in the air to silence them as your eyes darted frantically along the intricate patterns on your ceiling.  
  
Moments went by in complete silence and Levi began to grow impatient as you continued to remain motionless.  
  
"What is it, brat?" he questioned, voice louder this time from agitation.  
  
 _Criik._  
  
Levi and Armin's eyes widened at the quiet, yet distinct sound that resounded through the air. They barely had anytime to study the ceiling before you abruptly dashed towards them.  
  
Your (e/c) eyes were as wide as saucers and panic was written all over your face as you bent forward and gripped the front of the two soldiers' shirts and yanked their bodies upward. You lifted Armin up easily and he stared at you, mouth agape in surprise. Levi, however, resisted and placed your wrist in a vice grip.  
  
"Get up!" you yelled at him, wiggling your wrist within his hand. He reluctantly released his grip, due to the sheer hysteria displayed on your features, and arose from the floor.  
  
Eren had awoken from your shout and eyed you with confusion. "What's going on?" he yawned.  
  
"Up! Get up!" you shouted, your hands gesturing madly in the air.  
  
Jean was not-so-surprisingly still asleep like a log and snoring with his good arm draped over his forehead. You growled in frustration at him but reverted your attention to the other soldiers and began to push them towards the back of the house.  
  
"(N-Name)!" Armin exclaimed, but you ignored his questioning tone and continued to usher the men forwards.  
  
 _CRIK-CRACK._  
  
Your breath hitched in your throat and you and your guests stilled, eyes wide in horror. Cautiously, you turned your head and looked behind your shoulder at the wooden panels above you.  
  
Not a second later, the centre of your roof caved and collapsed in a dirty heap on the floor, where the boys had been laying previously.  
  
"What the hell?!" Jean shouted, shooting up in his bed, but instantly falling backwards due to the restricting splint on his body.  
  
You gaped at the wreckage before you, a mixture of emotions coursing through you simultaneously. Your hands curled into tight fists and a shrill cry of rage and despair cut through your lips. "Nooo!" you shouted, running to the pile and aimlessly clutching and digging through the splintered wood.  
  
Armin was by your side in an instant, gently patting your shaking shoulders and hushing you with soothing words, while Levi began barking orders to Eren in the background. You barely registered the two soldiers clearing a path to the doorway and assisting Jean outside, as you shook in silent fury at your ruined home.  
  
You found Armin's arm wrapped around your shoulder and gently guiding you outside where Jean was situated on a log and Eren was firing questions at his superior.  
  
"This house was probably built before the Walls," Armin commented beside you.  
  
"I guess it's not all that surprising then," Eren said, shrugging.  
  
"Tch. Let's fix this piece of crap up so we have somewhere to sleep tonight," Levi said, walking back into the house.  
  
You let in a sharp breath of air and stared with hard eyes at the spot of grass the corporal had occupied moments earlier. You squeezed your fists, trying to quell your shaking arms. Never had you felt so much frustration within just one week.  
  
Armin cautiously patted your shoulder gently. "(Name)," he called quietly.  
  
Your head snapped towards him so fast that you cringed at the whiplash in your neck. "What?" you growled.  
  
The blonde gulped and returned his hand to his side. "We can take care of the roof, (Name). Why don't you carry on with your own tasks so you don't tire yourself out?"  
  
You averted your intense gaze away from him and took in a deep breath of air. "Fine," you said, before stalking off towards the river without any of your supplies. The last thing you wanted to do at the moment was look at your house or your guests.  
  
~~~~  
  
You spent the entire morning away from the hammering sounds of the men working away at your broken roof. You made sure to take an extra long bath in the river and swam until your teeth chattered and your lips turned a dim blue. Sand replaced soap as you scrubbed yourself and then your clothes, hanging them to dry on nearby tree branches. While you waited for your clothes to dry, you strolled along the shore of the river and through some of your hunting paths stark naked; the sun slowly warming your tangled locks of hair and your lean body.  
  
You hadn't noticed the rumble emitting from your stomach until the sun was high in the sky. You redressed into your mostly dry undergarments and faded blue, raggedy sleeveless shirt that fell down to your knees. The men could still be heard working away in the distance, and your bath and stroll had relaxed you considerably, so you decided to return to source of your frustrations.  
  
Fear started to bubble up inside you at the thought of what lay ahead, as you trekked through the trees towards your home. Would your house look better or worse? They specialized in killing Titans, not carpentry, after all.  
  
Your eyes widened at the sight that met you as you entered the clearing surrounding your home. The entire roof had been ripped out, and in its place was the beginning of a new one. Armin remained on the ground tying half logs on a rope and levering them up to where Eren and Levi stood, hammering away with tools found in a storage compartment underneath your bed. Jean had taken it upon himself to awkwardly hobble on his good leg and sweep the fallen remnants of debris to the best of his ability.  
  
Armin noticed you first and gave you a friendly wave and smile. The obvious concern washed away from his eyes when you returned his smile with a faint one of your own and a nod of your head.  
  
"Oi, brat," you looked up, shielding your eyes from the sun as you did so, to see the corporal crouched near the edge of the roof, looking down at you. "You gonna be useful and help us, or what?"  
  
You frowned at him. "Shut up, Short Man," you said, heading for the open doorway. "I will make us lunch."  
  
Originally, you had planned to hunt for deer today, but with the mess coating the centre of your home, you didn't see that happening any time soon. Jean limped over to you and started to lift some of the stray wooden panels blocking the table and counter, but you grabbed his arm and shook your head.  
  
"You shouldn't be doing such work in your current state," you said.  
  
He frowned at you and let out a long sigh. "Aw, come on," he whined. "I can do it! I'm strong; one fracture isn't going to get in the way."  
  
"No."  
  
"Come on, I'm sick of laying around doing nothing all day," he continued.  
  
"You helped me sew yesterday," you said, hauling a pile of wreckage outside. "That was productive."  
  
Jean scoffed. "No it wasn't. All I did was prick my fingers and bleed onto the clothes."  
  
"Which I have to clean, you stupid fucking brat," Levi bitterly added from above.  
  
You shrugged your shoulders. "Okay, I lied. You were completely useless and only made things take longer," you admitted, as you continued to drop more stray pieces of wood outside the door.  
  
"She's as blunt as you, Kirschtein!" Eren called from his spot on a wooden beam.  
  
"For once, I agree with you, Jeager," Jean grumbled.  
  
You hummed in response and grabbed the discarded broom. "Tell you what," you began, as you swept the clutter away from the kitchen, "if you're patient and quiet, I'll let you help me cook after I've cleared out the kitchen."  
  
"What? Why can't I do something else?"  
  
"Well, if by 'something else' you mean 'being useless and sitting around doing nothing', then go right ahead," you replied.  
  
You could hear Eren let out a laugh over the loud thrumming sound of a hammer.  
  
Jean sighed. "Fiiiine. I'll help you cook," he said, sending a glare towards Eren.  
  
"Armin!" you called from the doorway after clearing out your small house. The blonde wiped the sweat from his forehead before giving you his full attention. "Come take a break from that and help me with the cooking," you said.  
  
"But I have to help Corporal Levi and Eren with the roof," he said.  
  
"You have Jean to help you cook, brat," Levi interjected.  
  
You rolled your eyes. "It'll only be for about half an hour. Everyone needs a break at some point," you said.  
  
Levi let out a sigh. "Fine. Jaeger, get down there and take over Arlert's job."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
"What're we going to make, (Name)?" Armin asked as he followed you into the house.  
  
"Bread," was your simple reply.  
  
"Uh..." Jean scratched the back of his head as he looked between you and Armin. "Do you even have the ingredients for something like that?" he asked.  
  
"Yup," you said, pulling out jars of fermented yeast, sugar, and wheat flour from beneath the counter. You grabbed a couple of fresh birds' eggs you had collected the previous day from a basket and set them on the counter beside the other ingredients.  
  
"You...harvested all of that on your own?" Armin questioned, bewildered at the ingredients that were becoming increasingly scarce in the walled city.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"...How?"  
  
A frown crossed your features at the blonde's question. "I...don't know," you said slowly. You bit your bottom lip in concentration as you tried to form an appropriate explanation in your head. "I just...have excessive knowledge on certain things," you continued, eyebrows furrowed in wonder. "It's as if...as if someone is...feeding me information? I don't know," you shook your head. "It's like I don't know and don't remember anything until a situation arises where I need to, then the information suddenly comes flooding in."  
  
"How can you not remember anything?" Jean asked.  
  
"I dunno," you answered rather quickly, and returned to your current task. You learned long ago not to ask such questions, as every time you did, you would get dizzy and even pass out on occasion.  
  
You quickly changed the subject by giving the two boys instructions on what to do. Jean had to light a fire and hand you whatever item you needed, while you and Armin took turns stirring and kneading the dough.  
  
Eren entered the house as you and Armin sat at the table waiting for the dough to rise. Bored out of his mind, Jean quickly formed a plan in his head and smirked at the titan shifter.  
  
"Hey, Jaeger!" he called, grabbing an egg from the counter.  
  
Eren turned just in time for an egg to smack and break apart on his forehead. You and Armin stared at the drooping egg yolk and cackling Jean in stunned silence. Eren didn't utter a sound as he slowly wiped the mess off of his forehead and glared at his assailant.  
  
"You'll pay for that, Horse-face," he whispered darkly, before grabbing another egg and throwing it at Jean.  
  
Jean blocked the attack by holding up the open jar of flour. "That was a pathetic throw, Jaeger," he taunted.  
  
Eren slipped on fallen egg yolk in an attempt to throw another egg at Jean, and crashed onto the floor, bringing the open jar of sugar down with him.  
  
Jean gripped his sides and howled with laughter. "You're so lame, Jaeger!"  
  
Armin, coated in sugar from the crash, stood up from his spot to halt the fight, but was hit in the chest with an egg by Jean. He yelped at the sudden attack and gasped when a handful of yeast hit his back and Jean's chest.  
  
"Sorry, that was only for Jean," Eren said, grabbing another egg.  
  
"Really bad aim, there, Jaeger," Jean said, tilting the jar of flour in his hands and spilling a chunk of the contents over the other two soldiers.  
  
Eren growled and whipped the egg at Jean, successfully hitting him in the face.  
  
"I didn't know horses could have yellow faces," Eren retorted, a smirk on his face.  
  
"I didn't know that you cadets were given permission to act like idiots," came a mocking voice from the doorway.  
  
The boys quickly spun around to look at the black haired man standing with crossed arms by the entrance.  
  
"S-Sir!" Eren exclaimed, greens eyes wide in surprise.  
  
"What the fuck do you think you're doing, cadets?!" Levi shouted, rage showing through his grey eyes.  
  
The cadets visibly paled and stared at their superior in fear.  
  
"Answer my damn question," he ordered, eyebrows furrowing slightly in anger.  
  
"W-we're sorry, Sir..." Eren said in a quiet voice.  
  
"I-I tried to stop them b-but..." Armin stuttered.  
  
"Was just some fun..." mumbled Jean.  
  
"Fun?!" Levi yelled, cutting off the cadets. "You think this is **fun**?!" he continued to shout, stomping towards the three boys, who all flinched at his approach. "We're stranded in a forest with a **fucking broken roof** , and you think it's **fun** to spend time that we **don't have** by wasting **valuable food**?!"  
  
The soldiers continued to silently stare at their superior, horror etched onto their faces. Levi's glare hardened even further at the boys and he opened his mouth to shout once more, but was quickly interrupted by a sound coming from behind him.  
  
A harmonic melody of laughter erupted from your lips and cut through the air. The four soldiers turned their attention to you and observed you with wide eyes. You were on the floor by the table, clutching your stomach with tears brimming your eyelashes.  
  
The soldiers wordlessly gaped at you in awe as your hearty laughter faded and you gazed up at them with bright eyes and a large, beaming smile.


	8. Chapter 8

You weren't entirely surprised to find yourself in this situation. It was bound to happen at some point, you just didn't know what it would be that would set you off.  
  
Until now.  
  
Levi laid on the floor of your kitchen, pinned by your arms and legs as you straddled his waist. His grey eyes bore into yours and he panted heavily, his breath ghosting over your lips as you brought your face closer to his, your noses almost touching.  
  
"Go for it," he murmured.  
  
Your gaze left his and trailed down to his bare neck. You could feel his skin under yours; taut and slick with sweat.  
  
If it weren't for the murderous rage boiling within you, you might have blushed.  
  
A low growl left your throat as you bared your teeth and clenched the knife tighter in your hand. You pressed the sharp blade further into his neck, causing a small pool of crimson liquid to trickle down his skin.  
  
Incidentally, it was because of the murderous rage boiling within you that made you lose sight of your surroundings. You didn't notice Levi's leg slipping from underneath yours, until you felt the brunt of his kneecap slamming into your stomach, sending you gasping and tumbling backwards onto your back.  
  
Rolling on your side, you clutched your abdomen and frantically heaved loudly in a desperate attempt to refill your lungs with air.  
  
Levi wasted no time in grabbing a handful of your wild, (h/c) locks and pulling you to your feet. You screeched out in pain and blindly clawed and gripped at his hand as your eyes blurred with tears.  
  
Amidst all the pain and screaming, you barely registered the gasps and yells of protest coming from the cadets. Using all your willpower, you opened your watery eyes and focused your impaired vision on the stoic corporal, whose grey eyes briefly flickered towards the distressed soldiers.  
  
Without hesitation, you gritted your teeth as you painfully twisted in Levi's grasp and thrusted your fist towards him with all your might. Levi caught your fist an inch away from colliding into his jaw with his free hand, the force of your punch causing him to stumble backwards slightly and lose his grip on your hair. Unfazed by his block, you did not delay in lifting your leg upwards into his groin. Levi's emotionless face quickly contorted into a surprised glare as he narrowly halted your assault with his other hand. A feral growl sounded from you in response as you abruptly smashed your head into Levi's, sending him staggering backwards into the table.  
  
You were on him in less than a second, throwing a fist into his gut and knocking the wind out of him like he had done to you. He gasped in response to your attack and sputtered for air, but this did not deter you in landing another punch into the side of his face. Just as you were about to hit him with another punch, Levi quickly retaliated by ramming his foot into your knee. A sharp yelp resounded through the room as your leg gave out from underneath you, sending you collapsing to the floor. However, before your head could touch the wooden surface, your arms quickly sprung out and pushed your body upwards and back onto your feet. The pain coursing through you only served to increase your blood rage, and you took the corporal's surprise at your actions to display your anger with renewed vigour. You lifted your injured leg high up into the air, then bent it and brought your foot towards Levi's face in a downwards strike.  
  
"Stop!"  
  
It was Armin's voice that you could hear, but the sound of your heart thundering in your ears drowned out the blonde's protests. You could feel him hold you to your spot with all his strength as his small frame pressed against your back and his arms wrapped tightly around your shoulders. You payed the boy no mind, however, and instead directed your dangerous, wide-eyed gaze towards your leg that was locked between a pair of strong arms.  
  
" **Let. Me. Go.** " Eren's green eyes widened at your voice. You sounded like an animal with the way you growled and hissed through your clenched teeth.  
  
"(Name)," Armin shakily pleaded into your ear, "please, please calm down. This has to stop." You could feel his body trembling and something wet dripping onto your neck.  
  
Levi wiped the blood trickling down his chin onto his hand, his face scrunching up in disgust as he did so. The sudden movement caused you to avert your attention from the brunette that held your foot, back to your target. His breathing was as heavy as yours, but his eyes remained impassive as he returned your gaze. Seeing him standing so nonchalantly, not a breadth away from you, sent a scream of fury bubbling up through your chest and out your snarling mouth.  
  
The cadets flinched and winced at the ear piercing sound, especially Armin, who released his hold on you and staggered backwards.  
  
"Whoa, easy there, tiger," came a voice from beside you. You snapped your eyes towards Jean, whose hand firmly clasped your shoulder. "Armin's right. You need to calm down. As much as the corporal can piss people off, killing isn't the answer, alright?"  
  
"Tch. Figures she'd try. What would you expect from a crazy, feral little shit like her?" Levi said, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
Your breathing started to slow, as well as your pounding heart, as you kept your (e/c) eyes trained on Jean. Noticing your relaxing state, Eren let out a sigh and loosened his grip around your leg. But that was exactly what you wanted him to do.  
  
In the blink of an eye, your leg was yanked away from the titan shifter's grasp and returned to your side, only to then assist you in springing your body up into the air in a lunge towards the unsuspecting corporal.  
  
Your hands were around his neck for not even a second before all three boys had locked their arms around you and tugged you across the room. But that half a second where you were in contact with his neck was enough for your nails to scrape over his flesh and leave their bloodied mark.  
  
You smirked when you caught the pain shining through his eyes, but returned to snarling almost as fast as he reverted back to his stoic mask.  
  
You suddenly became very aware of the pairs of hands clutching your waist and arms, and began to violently thrash under their grasp. "Let me go! **Let me go!** " you continued to repeat in a high pitched screech.  
  
" **Calm down!** " Eren tried to yell over you, but his words were lost beneath your repeated screams.  
  
" **I'll kill him! I'll kill him!** " you began to chant at the top of your lungs.  
  
Jean breathed in deeply and with all his might let out the loudest yell he could muster. " **(Name)! Don't make me knock you out, 'cause I will!** "  
  
All movement and screams emanating from you abruptly ceased. Your body slackened and your head bent forward, your disturbed locks of unruly hair cascading over your shoulders and blanketing your face as you did so.  
  
Silence fell over the tense soldiers in the room as they regarded your sudden limp form with confusion.  
  
Eren cautiously leaned forward in a failed attempt to catch sight of your face under your curtain of hair. "Uhh..." he straightened his posture and glanced at Jean. "Did you just knock her out?"  
  
Jean shook his head and furrowed his eyes. "Nope. Was just about to, though."  
  
The soldiers' attention were brought back to you as your body suddenly jerked in their hold. The boys hastily tightened their trap around you at the sudden movement, only to immediately loosen their grip in surprise at your next action.  
  
Your limp form began to shake in their arms, followed by a quiet whimper from your lips soon after. "Give him..." your voice came out as a whisper and was hastily preceded by a sob, "give him...back." Your shaking intensified and another, much louder sob escaped your lips. "Give him back!"  
  
The cadets averted their eyes from you and quickly exchanged glances, before turning their attention to the corporal across the room.  
  
"L-Lance Corporal..." Armin began to say.  
  
"I'm not letting that piece of filth back into the house," Levi interrupted.  
  
Your head shot up at his response, your locks of hair obscuring your face, as you glared at him with a fiery intensity. " **Give him back!** " you screeched as you lurched forward in your restraints. " **I'll skin you alive, you son of a bitch!** " Tears streamed down your wild eyes and your scream morphed into a wail. "Give him back!" you repeated, choking on a sob.  
  
"Eren, take (Name) outside please, so she can calm down," Armin said as he released his hold on you. "I'll talk to Corporal Levi, alright, (Name)? This can be solved without violence, you just need to try to relax and clear your mind," he added with a small smile as he looked into your watery orbs. He gently rubbed your back before stepping away.  
  
Eren hastily guided you out of your tiny home and walked you towards the edge of the clearing. He freed you from his arms and slowly took a step back as he regarded your trembling form with uncertainty. Rubbing the back of his head, Eren aimlessly glanced around him as he tried to think of an appropriate course of action. The titan shifter returned his gaze to you and sighed, before awkwardly placing a hand on your shoulder and giving you a small pat.  
  
"Um...There, there..." he said, inwardly cringing at his lame attempt at comforting you. How was he supposed to calm you? He didn't even know that you were capable of crying until a couple of minutes ago.  
  
You didn't allow Eren to continue his failed attempts to ease you, as just as abruptly as it had started, your crying had ceased.  
  
Your puffy red eyes suddenly hardened and you stared at the surprised boy with a chilling ferocity. "If Levi doesn't give me back Mr. Wilson, I will carve into his skin with every knife I have and feed his corpse to a titan," your voice was low and dark when you spoke.  
  
"(Name)-"  
  
"When I come back, Wilson better be there," you said, cutting him off. You spun on your heel and marched the remaining few feet to the edge of the clearing, then halted and peered at the brunette over your shoulder with hollow eyes. "He is the only friend that I have in this world," you whispered, voice wavering with sorrow.  
  
Eren silently gaped at your retreating figure until he could no longer see the outline of your form within the dense maze of trees.


	9. Chapter 9

The only thing that could be heard in the dimly lit cabin was the indefinite drops of water pounding against the exterior of the building, coupled with the clamorous clapping of thunder drumming through the heavy, inky black clouds.  
  
"She's been gone for a long time," Armin's voice came out as almost a soft murmur against the loud thrumming that wracked their tiny shelter.  
  
Streaks of light flashed through the windows and briefly illuminated the room in white as the other soldiers sat about the cold room in silence.  
  
Levi let out a curt sigh from where he sat by the window, a permanent scowl etched onto his pale features as he stared at the endless stream of water cascading down the glass.  
  
"This storm's been going on for almost two hours now," the blonde continued.  
  
"Well," a long, drawn out yawn left Jean's lips as he carefully stretched out his sore limbs, "she was gone for...what? Three hours before the storm hit? So...she's probably on her way back right now. Bet she'll be here in a few minutes." Jean sighed and gently rubbed his growling stomach. "Perhaps we'll finally get to eat soon," he mumbled with exaggerated sorrow.  
  
Armin shook his head and stood from his seat at the kitchen table. "No. (Name) is smart. Angry and emotional, yes...but smart. The moment she sees a dark cloud, she'd be making her way back here," he said. He peered through the kitchen window from over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes at the dastardly sight. "Above all else, (Name) is responsible. She should've been here at least an hour ago, so something isn't right," he added.  
  
A loud, scritching clamour resounded through the room as Levi abruptly arose from his chair, causing the cadets to flinch in surprise. Without a word, the corporal strode to the cabinet and with quick efficiency, adorned his uniform jacket and cloak, before continuing to rummage through the contents on the bottom shelf. The cadets watched on in silence as their superior proceeded to strap a blade as long as his forearm around his thigh and hauled a large hoop of rope over his shoulder.  
  
"Um...What are you doing, Sir?" Eren questioned hesitantly as the shorter man made his way towards the front door.  
  
Levi halted in his steps, his gloved hand clasped around the door knob, and glanced over his shoulder at the younger soldiers. "I'm going to retrieve a certain shitty brat," he replied, voice emotionless. "Keep that fire going, Jaeger. And help Arlert make dinner," he ordered, firmly shutting the door behind him after receiving a salute from the two cadets.  
  
~~~~  
  
A dark patch of brown appeared in your blurry vision as your eyes slowly fluttered open. You stared motionless at the mossy green stripes that tickled your nose and cheek as it danced wildly in front of you. After what felt like an eternity, the foggy haze clouding your sight and mind cleared, awakening your dormant senses in the process.  
  
All at once you could feel violent pain coursing through your body in several different directions.  
  
Above the excruciating thrumming in your skull, you could make out the familiar sensation of torn skin on the left side of your forehead. Your eyes shut tightly in a lame effort to block out the splitting headache.  
  
The moment your eyes reopened and trailed up to your arm laying limply by your head, you became aware of the stinging cuts and bruises dotting your flesh. A sharp hiss escaped your lips as you at first sharply, then slowly, brought your other arm near you for inspection. Your bare limbs were covered in scrapes and fresh mud, and you could feel your stomach tighten in worry at the possibility of infection.  
  
During your walk, the sore result of being kneed in the stomach had faded immensely, you recalled. Such a realization made it all the more confusing as to why your stomach currently felt like a block of cinder had crushed you. Taking in a deep breath, you slowly lifted your aching head and peered down at the lower half of your body.  
  
"Shit!" you breathed out shakily, the sight before you triggering your briefly forgotten memory.  
  
The grey clouds looming above had already darkened and reached you by the time you had bothered to pause in your restless march through the woods. You had been too drowned in your own rage-filled thoughts to notice the approach of the oncoming storm.  
  
Within minutes of turning to retrace your steps, the light trickle of rain you had felt turned into a violent downpour, and the wind pushed through the thick underbrush with staggering strength.  
  
You didn't make it very far into your walk back home before an ear-splitting crack ravaged the sky as a bright light lit up your surroundings. Before you could even properly register what had happened, the sound of splintering wood filled your ears, and the last thing you could remember seeing was a dark cylindrical shape falling towards you.  
  
A low, strained groan left your gritted teeth as you gathered the little strength you had to push the fallen tree off of you. The charred plant didn't budge even the slightest against your best efforts, you noticed with dismay. Plopping your head back down against the wet grass, you heaved a heavy sigh in defeat and limply spread your tired arms out to the side.  
  
You remained motionless for a few minutes, simply allowing the pounding rain to blanket over you as you tried to regain your breath. Your head languidly lolled to the side and your dreary eyes stared aimlessly at the boulder wedged between the ground and the tree a little ways away from you.  
  
You could only imagine how heavy the tree would be if it wasn't held off the ground slightly at one end, then again, you wouldn't be breathing if it wasn't. A chuckle struggled its way past your lips as you said dryly, "Never thought a rock would save my life."  
  
A streak of light burst across the sky and you shrieked, your body jolting violently against the muddy grass beneath you. Your eyes were as wide as saucers and your mouth hung open while you stared unblinkingly at the clouds looming over you. It wasn't until your lungs screamed for air that you tore your gaze away from the sky and tried to regain your breathing.  
  
Another flash of light illuminated the forest floor around you and your body stilled, your breath once more catching in your throat. Images shot through your frazzled mind at breakneck speed and a loud, shrill cry left your lips. The familiar wave of dizziness that you had always tried so hard to avoid, came crushing down upon you moments later, and black dots began to splatter across your vision.  
  
"N-no..." you whimpered.  
  
To the best of your ability, you bent your body inward and closer to the dead tree resting over you. Warm drips of water still managed to slip through your tightly shut eyes, and mixed easily with the ceaseless rain tapping against your bruised skin. Your hands covered your ears and clutched anxiously at your tangled locks of hair, the tugging pain on your scalp barely registering to you as you frantically gasped for air.  
  
The light still danced behind your closed eyelids, and it was then that you realized with a horrified scream that you could not escape the dreadful thoughts dominating your head.  
  
"No! No, no, no, no, no..." you choked out, violent sobs wracking your fragile form.  
  
~~~~  
  
It had been a couple of hours since Levi had set off into the woods. Luckily, he had seen the direction in which you had stormed off in earlier, and was able to make out the crude path you had left in your wake. The hard part was trying to avoid slipping over mud while cutting through the path that was barely even there to begin with; obviously you had used your hands and not a blade to navigate.  
  
The storm showed no signs of letting up any time soon, and despite Levi's best efforts, everything but the inside of his work gloves and jacket were completely drenched. The seemingly permanent scowl on the corporal's face was even darker than usual, signifying his utter hatred for the highly inconvenient weather.  
  
The anger bubbling within him subsided suddenly as Levi came to what was seemingly the end of your trail. In front of him was a small clearing, housing only a few large rocks and one fallen tree on the outskirts opposite of him.  
  
Levi sighed in exasperation. "Fucking perfect," he mumbled, bringing his hand upwards to rub his sore temple, but stopping short at the remembrance of the dirtied glove warming his skin. Another sigh left him as he stared out at the clearing with aggravation. It would be a lot more difficult to locate the continuation of your path with such heavy rain obstructing his sight.  
  
The sky shook with thunder and a bolt of light darted between the clouds, briefly brightening the dark forest clearing. Levi shook his head and stepped forward into the open area, but halted immediately after as a sound drifted over the pelting rain towards his ears.  
  
Levi's body tensed and his eyes widened as his gaze followed the direction of the cry to the opposite edge of the clearing. He could see it, just barely, the dark outline of a crumpled lump laying underneath the fallen tree.  
  
"Shit," he cursed, before breaking out into a sprint across the slippery forest floor.  
  
Levi slid to a stop next to the dead plant and quickly peered at the shaking heap burrowed into the grass. The tree was large, and as strong as Levi was, he knew that simply lifting the trunk with his bare arms would only prove to be a waste of time.  
  
The corporal did not hesitate in unravelling the rope hanging on his shoulder and fitting it into a tight loop around the tree, inwardly sighing in relief at having brought such on item as he did so. Over a few slow minutes, Levi heavily relied on the muscles in his arms to pull on the rope and carefully roll the burnt tree off of you.  
  
Your eyes flew open at the sudden lack of weight on your stomach, before noticing a familiar pair of grey eyes boring into your own.  
  
"Le-Levi...?" your voice came out as a soft croak, but that did not hide the evident surprise in your tone.  
  
His eyes widened considerably at you before quickly reverting back to their typical stoic mask. It was the first time he had ever heard you address him by his name, and he was shocked, to say the least.  
  
Levi snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed the sudden close proximity of your face, incidentally surprising him further. Your eyes were big and reflected the little amount of light available in their watery, (e/c) pools, as you peered up at Levi with an emotion he had never seen you exhibit before.  
  
"What are you doing here?" you whispered, teeth chattering.  
  
Levi pulled his gaze away from yours to look off to the side and scoffed. "What's it look like? Saving your stupid ass, you shitty brat," he replied, voice less harsh than he intended.  
  
The corporal cast you a sideways glance and felt a curious disappointment course through him as he watched the pure passion and hope shining in your eyes turn into a typical frown.  
  
"You're the one who is stupid," you mumbled, folding your arms across your chest.  
  
Levi's eyes discreetly flickered over the small rags acting as a makeshift shirt and skirt, the thin fabric tightly clinging to your body from the endless rain, before returning his gaze to your eyes and sending you a glare. "And what makes you say that, brat?" he questioned.  
  
Your eyebrows narrowed and your lips curled downward into a snarl as you leaned towards the corporal. Your nose brushed against his as you spoke in a low voice, "Because, only an idiot would save someone who is out for their head."  
  
The sky lit up briefly and your tough exterior was washed away in an instant as you suddenly let out a shriek and returned to a fetal position on the ground. Levi regarded you in silent shock, his eyes widened a fraction and his mouth ajar.  
  
Levi glanced up at the sky as another bolt of light flitted through the clouds. A sob left your shaking form and he brought his attention back to you.  
  
"No, no, no, no..." you cried. Light flashed over you again, and you curled yourself into a tighter ball.  
  
You could feel a light weight on your back but ignored it and shook your head vigorously as tears trickled through your closed eyes.  
  
"(Name)..." you didn't notice the oddly gentle tone in the corporal's voice as he spoke. "You're scared of lightning?" he questioned, tilting his head to the side while he lightly squeezed your back with hesitation.  
  
"I-I dunno..." you mumbled between sobs. "...Don't know why..." Levi leaned forward and strained his ears in an attempt to hear you over the racket. Your body shook underneath his hand and your blurry eyes squinted at him as you choked on another sob. "I-I had a picture in my head...Lightning has..." you clutched onto his wrist in a vice grip and shut your eyes once more as you inhaled a shaky breath, "hurt me before."  
  
Levi watched on silently as you continued to let out muffled sobs from beneath your hand, your words repeating in his head. Another streak of lightning flashed across the sky and he breathed out a long sigh.  
  
With effort, the corporal pried your freezing hands away from you and covered them with his gloves, then hooked an arm under your legs and brought the other around your shoulders. He lifted you with relative ease, the cold water biting at his skin and the strength he expelled moving the tree off of you wearing down his muscles ever so slightly.  
  
"I've had enough of this shit," Levi grumbled and stood up off the ground. His dark-rimmed eyes glanced down at your shivering, drenched form and matted hair as you nestled your head against the slightly dry shirt covering his chest beneath his jacket. He returned his gaze to the path ahead of him and began walking towards the dense wall of trees, his mouth set into a hard line as he muttered under his breath, "It's time to go home, you filthy brat."


	10. Chapter 10

_"And just where exactly do you think you're going?"  
  
Her shoulders slumped dully and a long sigh escaped her dry lips, unveiling her lethargic state to her superior.  
  
"I'm alone here. There're people around me, but no one close," her (e/c) eyes gazed bleakly over her shoulder at the older woman. "Why did I have to become an orphan?" she whispered sullenly.  
  
The older woman sighed and pinched her nose in exasperation. "You can't leave. If you do, how will you avenge him? How will you achieve peace?"_  
  
~~~~  
  
"(Name)."  
  
Your eyes twitched behind your eyelids, and a fog began to drown out the images dancing inside your mind as consciousness slowly swept over you.   
  
"(Name), breakfast is ready."  
  
Pain throbbed in time with your heartbeat against your skull. Your fingers found their way to your head and knotted themselves in the roots of your hair as you let out a sharp hiss. Your body curled up into a ball and your eyes scrunched tighter and brimmed with tears.   
  
"(Name)!"  
  
The calloused touch of a hand brushed over your forehead and for a moment you could feel the pain numb from the cool temperature.  
  
"Oh no...She's heating up!"  
  
Your eyes slowly opened and as your vision came into focus, you were greeted with a pair of bright blue eyes and a mob of blonde hair.  
  
Your body shot upward into a sitting position, causing Armin to gasp and stumble backwards off of the bed. A look of panic spread across your face as you turned your attention to the cadets staring at you.  
  
"I slept in?!" you exclaimed, eyes wide with bewilderment. Darting out of the bed with the speed of a cat, you didn’t wait for a response from the men as your bare feet thumped across the floorboards towards the kitchen. “How could I do that? I haven’t slept in for years! Great, now breakfast will be later than usual and my whole routine will be shifted!” you rambled as you frantically plundered through the contents in the cupboards with speedy desperation. “Why didn’t any of you wake me up sooner?” you questioned irritably, sending a quick scowl over your shoulder as you did so.  
  
“We tried waking you up, but you were out like a light,” commented Jean, who was leaning stiffly against the front door.   
  
“That doesn’t make sense, I’m a light sleeper,” you mumbled, shaking your head as you grabbed a wooden mixer bowl from the bottom cupboard. You arose with haste from your crouched position on the floor and were immediately greeted with an overwhelming wave of dizziness.  
  
“Easy there, (Name)!” Armin said, hands wrapped around your upper arms in an attempt to steady you.   
  
“Move. I need to make breakfast,” you said, frowning at the blue eyed boy in front of you.  
  
Armin stared silently at you with furrowed eyes for a moment before slowly saying, “(Name)…Breakfast is already made. It’s on the table, right beside you.”  
  
Turning your head to the side, your (e/c) eyes were met with the sight of a neatly set table, decorated with a bowl of fruit and a plate with eggs and bread in the center.   
  
“Oh,” was your simple reply, before you abruptly slipped out of Armin’s grasp, and landed in a heap on the floor as another wave of dizziness invaded your mind.  
  
~~~~  
  
It was past noon when you awoke to the peculiar feeling of hot steam breathing against your face. Your eyebrows narrowed as a heavy weight shifted beside your cocoon of blankets and the heat grew closer.   
  
“Eren, give her some space, you’re disturbing her.”  
  
Your eyes snapped open and were instantly met with the sight of a steaming bowl of soup and a spoon merely inches from your face.   
  
Eren turned his green eyes away from you and shook his head at Armin. “Nah, she’s only bothered because she’s starving,” he said, before shoving the bowl further towards you. “Eat up, (Name)!”  
  
Armin stared at the scene before him from a cautious distance, his heartbeat increasing in anticipation of the unavoidable conflict about to unravel. It was when the seconds began to tick by silently with your eyes glued to Eren’s, that Armin felt his apprehension rising, only to be quickly washed away with confusion as you opened your mouth wide.  
  
The titan-shifter stared perplexed at you for a moment, before an amused grin spread across his lips. Chuckling at the odd sight, Eren scooped a generous amount of the warm liquid onto the spoon and carefully brought it to your awaiting lips.    
  
It was an interesting thing for the boys to witness, given your usually independent and reclusive nature. Armin sat with Jean at the table eating their own helpings of the meal, whilst Eren donned a look of determination as he brought each spoonful to your mouth, careful not to spill for fear of disappointment from Levi.  
  
Your foggy mind was vaguely aware of the corporal’s absence, but you did not think much of it as with each passing minute your energy decreased. It was when you were almost halfway through the bowl of food that your sweaty hand meekly pushed it away, causing Eren to stare questioningly at you.  
  
“No more,” you drawled quietly.  
  
Eren glanced down at the lukewarm soup in his hands. “You’re full already?”  
  
Your voice was lighter, almost childlike as you spoke, “I’m good.”  
  
“You’re good?” Eren questioned, arching an eyebrow in amusement.  
  
A long yawn stretched through your lips as you nodded your head. “I’m good,” you repeated with a lazy smile and rubbed tiredly at your eyes.  
  
Armin couldn’t help but smile warmly at your actions, and with a quick glance around the room, noticed that the other two shared a similar expression. “(Name) should get some rest now,” he said, collecting the empty dishes from the table.  
  
You could feel the bed rise slightly as Eren removed himself from beside you, but your remaining awareness of your surroundings faded soon afterwards as your mind began to drift into a dream.  
“So, think she’ll get better soon? I kinda want the bed back,” Jean said, fingers plucking at his bandages absentmindedly.   
  
“Really?” Eren stepped towards the seated soldier, a scowl on his face. “You’re that damn selfish, Horse-Face? She’ll get better when she gets better.”  
  
“Guys, seriously. Now isn’t the time to fight. (Name) needs rest,” Armin interjected, sending your sleeping form a quick glance.  
  
Jean frowned in irritation. “Can’t she sleep on the blankets on the floor? I can barely move with this stupid splint.”  
  
Eren clenched his fists and stepped closer to Kirschtein. “Stop being such a-“  
  
“Why are they all yellow?” you quietly mumbled.  
  
Silence fell among the soldiers as their attention was instantly directed towards you.   
  
“What?” Jean asked, breaking the silence.  
  
You averted your eyes to the ceiling and bent your arms behind your head. “I just never really understood it,” you continued.  
  
“Umm…What don’t you understand, (Name)?” Armin questioned slowly.  
  
Snapping your head towards the soldiers, an incomprehensible sound of frustration left your mouth before you loudly uttered, “The Simpsons, what else could I be talking about?!”  
  
“…What?” Eren said, scratching the side of his head.  
  
Letting out a loud huff, you said irritably, “You know, the TV show?!”  
  
Silence fell among the soldiers once more as they silently looked between each other for any indication of an answer.   
  
“What’s…a TV show?” Jean inquired.  
  
It was your turn to look confused, and after a moment of staring at the boys like they had all grown extra heads, you quietly spoke, “How do you not know what a TV show is? You’re in one, after all.”  
  
“We are in…a TV show? What does that mean, (Name)?” Armin asked as he slowly approached your bed.  
  
Sighing, you rolled on your side to face away from the boys and shooed at them with your hand. “Never mind. Be quiet. You’re all very frustrating individuals,” you replied. Shutting your eyes, you quickly fell into a slumber before you could hear any response from your guests.  
  
~~~~  
  
The following morning you felt exceedingly better. Your body felt as if it hadn’t moved in years, and your movements were slightly sluggish, but your brain was no longer pounding against your skull and your high body temperature had decreased excessively.   
  
You weren’t conscious for much of the previous day, but you did remember Armin placing a wet cloth on your forehead every now and then, as well as being fed soup and herbal tea.   
  
Now that your fever had receded, all the images from the day of the storm were able to swarm in your mind vividly. You felt a variety of emotions scramble within you from the actions of yourself and the others.  
  
Although you were still angry at Levi, you felt more embarrassed than anything. Embarrassed that being alone for so long had ignited a feral side within you, and that you could no longer trust yourself to properly contain your own anger. Embarrassed that in your fit of anger, you had lost sight of your sensibility, and ended up needing rescue from the very one who caused such anger in the first place. And finally, you were embarrassed that because of your senseless actions, you couldn’t care for yourself and had to rely on the help of your guests to nurse you back to health.   
  
You could feel a dent in your ego.   
  
But you were not completely blind to the rules of the social norm, as you knew that at some point in time your social skills were not so lackluster. Even with all the embarrassment and your wounded pride, you still felt gratitude towards your guests who took care of you, and no matter how awkward it made you feel, you couldn’t help but want to regain your old personality.   
  
That is why you found yourself in your current situation.   
  
It was late in the afternoon when you had left the stream with a bucket of water to find Armin preparing the kitchen table for dinner. The blonde boy smiled at you as you closed the door behind you and set the bucket atop the counter. The room was quiet, only the sound of the crackling fire and the clacking of dishes could be heard.   
  
You observed the boy silently from your spot near the entrance, until he caught your stare and turned to you with questioning eyes.   
  
“Is something wrong?” he asked politely, tilting his head to the side.  
  
“No,” you replied, a stiff, unsure smile plastered on your lips.  
  
Armin regarded you with concern for a moment before shrugging and returning to his task.   
  
Taking a deep breath, you carefully approached the blonde with rigid steps. _I can do this_ , you thought, thumbs twiddling behind your back.  
  
“Armin,” your voice came out unbalanced, like that of a teenage boy going through puberty, and you inwardly cringed.  
  
The blue eyed strategist flinched when he heard you call him by name, and turned to you with wide eyes. “Uh…yes?” he asked with uncertainty clear in his tone.  
  
A few long seconds passed without a response as you continued to stand still in front of him, the same wooden smile resting on your face. You pictured your intentions in your mind; a quick friendly hug and a pat on the back to show your appreciation. But as the seconds continued to tick by with concern becoming more and more vibrant in the blonde’s eyes, you quickly felt your resolve evaporate. _Crap. No I can’t._  
  
And so, it was with great surprise that the boy suddenly found himself being poked on the cheek by your finger. He stared at you wide eyed, and you mirrored his expression, equally surprised by your own actions.   
  
You laughed nervously and retrieved your hand from his face, and with another uncomfortable grin, said, “Thanks for…helping me get better. I feel…um…grateful.”  
  
A faint tinge of pink spread across Armin’s cheeks, and his eyes softened slightly. “Ah! It was no trouble, really,” he quickly said, then added with a shy smile, “You’re welcome, (Name).”   
  
You relaxed visibly at his response and nodded your head, a more natural smile gracing your lips. “Right, well,” you cleared your throat, “I’ll go collect the crew for dinner,” you said, before hastily exiting the house without a second thought.  
  
~~~~  
  
The night air was cool against your skin as you sat in the grass near your garden. The light of the fireplace filtered through the window and faintly illuminated the patch of dirt in front of you, where you doodled random patterns with your finger absentmindedly.  
  
It was only a couple hours after dinner, and thoughts of your conversation with the cadets still played in your mind. You were caught off guard when they abruptly questioned you about TV. At first, all you could feel was panic and confusion at the seemingly random question, until they elaborated and brought your memory of the event back. Luckily, you were able to carry on your confusion and play dumb, but you still felt incredibly unnerved at the accidental leak of information.  
  
Dinner had only consisted of you and the three boys. When you went out to collect Jean and Eren for dinner, Levi had supposedly stopped by and informed Armin that he would eat later after he was finished with the laundry. You accepted Armin’s explanation, but couldn’t help but feel bothered by the corporal’s absence. You hadn’t seen him since the thunderstorm because he was apparently taking over the majority of the chores while you were recovering. Despite knowing this, you still felt like there was more to his absence than he was letting on.  
  
 _Speak of the devil._  
  
Your eyes locked onto the grey ones of Levi, who stood a couple feet away from you. Without a word, you watched on as the man silently situated himself in the grass beside you. He glanced down at the patch of dirt acting as your canvas, and for a moment you could’ve sworn his eyes widened slightly in shock at the figure 8 etched in the ground.  
  
“Finally decided to make an appearance, I see,” you spoke, voice laced with irritation.  
  
Levi didn’t respond. He faced forward and gazed aimlessly at the garden blanketed in the night’s shadows. Letting out an exasperated sigh, you averted your eyes from the corporal and stared at the sky.  
  
The minutes began to tick by and your annoyance only grew. Just as you were about to make another comment, movement caught your eye, and you turned just in time to see Levi stretch out his arm towards you and place something in your lap.  
  
Narrowing your eyes, you looked down at the object in your lap, only to loudly gasp at the sight. Eyes wide, you whipped around to face Levi, who had his head turned away from you.   
  
“What? Why?!” you demanded.  
  
Levi glanced at you and scowled. “Just shut up and accept my apology, brat.”  
  
“But where was he?”  
  
Levi sighed. “ _It_ was in the compost.”  
  
 _He was in the compost?_ “Oh,” was your short reply. You felt stupid. So caught up in your anger, you didn’t think to check in the one spot where Levi would put such “garbage”.   
  
As you continued to think over the recent events in silence, you became even more surprised at Levi’s actions. Not only did he apologize in his own weird way, but he went to the _filthy_ compost to retrieve Mr. Wilson for you. You couldn’t help but feel a tiny smile tug at your lips at the thought of the stubborn clean freak rummaging through a garbage dump out of guilt.  
  
Levi took your silence as a refusal and made his way to stand up, but was abruptly tugged back downwards by the fast movement of your arm. Stunned and unsure of what to do, the corporal remained still as he stared at your warm hand entwined with his.  
  
You squeezed his hand ever so slightly, and Levi met your gaze. Your eyes flickered with firelight from the window, and your lips were turned downwards into a faint frown.  
  
“You’re a cruel asshole and you piss me off,” you said. Your thoughts shifted from your arguments to him rescuing you from the thunder storm. “But thank you…Levi,” you slowly finished, a small smile replacing your frown.  
  
Levi watched as you disconnected your hand from his and left without waiting for a response. He wasn’t expecting the reaction he had received from you, but overall, he felt somewhat…pleased. With the sudden lack of heat on his hand, the corporal became aware once more of the chilly night air. Rising from his spot on the ground, Levi headed towards the warmth of the house and the peculiar girl waiting inside.


	11. Chapter 11

The weather was perfect today, you noted with a small smile as you glanced up at the clear blue sky. The warm summer air was countered with a constant gentle breeze that brushed through your unruly locks of hair as you slowly strolled away from your home.  
  
The path that you chose was one of your lesser traveled routes, as evidenced by the returning undergrowth. The path was the longest one you had created, starting from behind your house and stretching out to the outskirts of the forest. It was an accident to venture so close to the treeline, and when you had realized your mistake, the damage had already been done, resulting in a small opening between the border of the woods and the vast expanse of titan territory. At the time, you had retraced your steps and left nature to re-close the wound.  
  
You continued through the forest until the trees began to thin out into a large clearing. The tall fields of flowers, milkweed and the occasional patch of mint leaves occupying the clearing was the only reason you kept part of the path open, because they were too difficult to carry over and maintain in your garden.  
  
It didn't take you long to replenish your supply of mint and milkweed. You had to carry the items in separate bags to prevent cross-contamination, due to the poisonous qualities in the milkweed.  
  
"I have some spare time," you said as you took note of the sun's position in the sky. "Sunset won't be for quite some time."  
  
Rising from your spot in the tall grass, your (e/c) eyes landed upon the plethora of vibrant flowers surrounding you. A small smile spread across your lips as an idea occurred.  
  
A rare feeling of peace ignited within you as you gently plucked a flower and brought it to your nose. Closing your eyes, you breathed in the fragrance and sighed. It was in this moment where the sun warming your skin and the plants swaying in the breeze, accompanied by the faint chirping melody in the trees, had created a sense of calm that you hadn't felt in a long time.  
  
"Dear sister, can you help me lie?" The words left your lips in a soft melody and you paused, momentarily confused at the sudden remembrance of the song. Recollection of the musical beat took over your thoughts and you twirled the flower in your hand as the lyrics continued to flow past your lips, "I've told the truth so many years but no one seems to wanna hear that I'm not someone else inside. I've been along this lonely road, looks like I'm not coming home but I don't mind. Please don't cry."  
  
The warm glow of the sun against your closed eyelids faded into darkness. Confused, you stood still, a sigh of content caught behind your pursed lips. It was when your eyes opened and you regarded the large shadow surrounding you that you felt every muscle in your body freeze.  
  
It was as if time had stood still when you lifted your head to meet the unblinking eyes and wide grin of the creature mere meters away from you. Stark naked and crouched at the knees, its enormous head inclined to the side as a shrill screech erupted from your mouth.  
  
Blood pounded in your ears like the beat of a drum, the world around you spinning into a blur as you unsheathed your spear and lunged it into the Titan's eye. You didn't wait to see its reaction as you spun around and dashed off into the opposite direction at a speed you didn't even know you were capable of achieving.  
  
It felt like you had only been running for a few minutes when you finally stopped, but the distance you had covered and the burning pain in your lungs told you otherwise. You didn't let the need for rest hinder you, however, as you darted to the tallest tree you could find and climbed it without second thought.  
  
It wasn't until you were safely situated on a high tree branch that you allowed your body to recover under the beating sun seeping through the sparse leaves. The thoughts of what occurred tumbled through to the forefront of your mind. You gasped and sputtered and shook, a single word repeating in your frazzled brain.  
  
_Titan. Titan. Titan. Titan. TITAN._  
  
But wait.  
  
The forest floor beneath you remained still and the treetops continued to emit the chirping songs and chattering of its inhabitants. There were no footsteps to be heard or quakes felt, and there hadn't been any from the very beginning, you realized.  
  
"It didn't follow me," you whispered in awe. Breathing out a shaky laugh, a small smile touched the corner of your lips and all the tension from your body disappeared. After all the horrific things that had happened to soldiers and civilians who had the misfortune of encountering the giants, you couldn't help but feel unbelievably lucky at your successful escape.  
  
But Titans were notoriously persistent when it came to hunting prey, you remembered. Your smile vanished at the thought. Something wasn't right. Even if you had managed to distract the Titan with your spear, it still should have caught up to you in a manner of minutes. When a Titan sees its next meal, no trees would stand in its way, no matter how dense.  
  
You shuttered and mumbled, "That thing is definitely big enough to break a path if its given the motivation." And it should of had plenty of motivation after seeing you. But it didn't, you noted, as you recalled the event leading up to your mad dash to safety.  
  
How could you not have noticed sooner? Of course, you were in a blind panic, thus preventing any coherent thought, but now it was as clear as day. If that Titan had wanted to eat you, it would have done so before you could even open your eyes. Instead, it simply...watched you. _You_ were the attacker, not it. But why?  
  
Images of Hanji Zoe's experiments and all other data and theories collected from the manga took center stage in your mind. You were only equipped with limited knowledge on the subject, but coupled with the modern science of your own forgotten world, the tidbits of facts and theories become a puzzle, its spaces filled and dots connected until suddenly, things seemed to make more sense.  
  
Eyes widened, your voice was barely above a whisper, "No friggin' way."  
  
~~~~  
  
The weakening rays of the evening sun cast a warm glow in the small cabin, the windows open wide to filter out the stifling heat of the fireplace as the flames licked the bubbling pot hanging above it. Sweat dribbled down the warm face of Armin, who dotted around the dining table with a stack of bowls and cups balanced in his arms. Eren was quick to take over the task of setting the table, allowing the blond to return his attention to the cooking dinner.  
  
"Anyone know where (Name) is?" Jean asked over the clanging sounds of tableware.  
  
"I thought she was out hunting," came Eren's reply.  
  
Jean shook his head at the brunette's back and turned his gaze to his propped up leg under the inspection of the corporal. "She should be back by now. At this rate, there won't be any meat in the soup."  
  
Lifting a spoon of the boiling broth, Armin sighed, "Yeah. The soup's already done."  
  
Eren scratched his head and looked between the door and the silent corporal readjusting Jean's splint. "I'll go look for her. She's probably at the stream again."  
  
Jean grinned. "Hoping to see something you're not supposed to, Jaeger?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows.  
  
The clattering sound of a spoon hitting the floor resonated throughout the room as a scarlet faced Arlert squeaked and fumbled to fix the sudden mess. An equally red blush appeared on Eren's face as he inwardly fought away the sudden intrusion of the memory.  
  
"S-shut up! It's nothing like that and you know it!" Eren barked back.  
  
Jean snickered at his embarrassed comrades. A distant look clouded his eyes before a wide smirk replaced the grin on his face. "If only I could've been there," he said.  
  
"Enough," Levi interrupted from his spot by the bed, a sudden adjustment on the splint causing a pained yelp to emit from Jean. "Hurry up and find her, Jaeger."  
  
Before a response could leave the titan-shifter's mouth, the front door creaked loudly as it swung open to reveal the subject of their discussion.  
  
Without missing a beat, (Name) spoke as she kicked the door firmly shut behind her, "We need to talk."  
  
"What is it?" Eren questioned, narrowed eyes following the sunburnt woman as she silently stashed away her hunting gear.  
  
(Name) swiveled around and crossed her arms, her hardened gaze piercing as she regarded them in silence. Hesitation griped at her for the briefest of moments, but she shook it away, steeling herself for what was to come. Taking a deep breath, (Name) spoke in an even tone, "I know how to get you four home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this update is so late! I have writer's block and am trying to fight it as best as I can. I'm also super busy with work and preparing for college, so it's been difficult to get much done. I also want to thank you all so much for the lovely comments, they always make me smile! I'm still quite busy but I will try my best to reply to everyone from here on out.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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